


Solangelo

by wordsofink



Series: solangelo one-shots [5]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Awkward Kissing, Baking, Campfires, Complete, Cuddling and Snuggling, Cute, Deaf!Will, Even More Fluff, Family Bonding, First Dates, Fluff, High School AU, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Relationship, Insecurities, Kissing, M/M, Mentions of McDonalds, Mild Making Out, Mortal AU, Rainy Days, Some angst, Some domestic fluff, Soulmate AU, Understanding, bench pressing, communication is important, cute boyfriends, demisexual!Will, hades cabin renovation, meet the parents, minor injury, nico gets turned into a cat, nico in a hat, nico loves dogs, nico's a great boyfriend, ninja warrior, obstacle courses, solangelo, some competition, some teasing/bullying, will's a good friend
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-14
Updated: 2018-04-23
Packaged: 2019-04-22 23:26:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 33,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14319393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wordsofink/pseuds/wordsofink
Summary: More one-shots, long-shots, fanfics featuring solangelo :)Tags/warnings will be added as writing continues. Warnings will be placed at the top of each chapter. Please let me know if I need to tag anything.1: ninja warrior - nico's a ninja warrior2: hear the beat of my heart - soulmate au where you can hear songs in your head3: pawprints across my heart - nico adopts a dog4: loving you more every day - nico's ready to take things further, will has some insecurities (no smut)5: snapshots (1)- one shots featuring a benchpressing competition, a broken hand, and a sweet moment at a campfire6: nico's hat - Hestia gifts nico a hat, poeple need to just accept it (tw for references to bullying)7: paws-itively oblivious - nico gets turned into a cat8: will's boyfriend - will's friends think nico is imaginary, so nico proves them wrong9: home is where the heart is - will meets maria and bianca10: first kisses - solangelo kisses11: dogs and dates - nico meets a cute guy at the dog park*characters are not mine unless otherwise stated*Thank you :)





	1. ninja warrior

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico's a Ninja Warrior. Will is not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ninja Warrior is basically a giant obstacle course that tests strength and agility, and it is super tough.

Will had tried to protest. He really had. He’d made signs, made passionate speeches at counselor meetings, even tried to casually deconstruct the obstacle course. But nothing. It seemed that demigods lived on this kind of destructive energy. They needed to be pushing themselves, constantly training and competing. Which Will was fine with. He just thought that maybe it shouldn’t be as dangerous as it was.

Almost no one else took his position.

So here he was, popping shoulders back into place, shoving water down people’s throats, bandaging up scrapes. He’d already fixed three broken arms, treated four sprains, healed numerous bumps and bruises. He was basically exhausted and more than ready to march up to Chiron and demand that he put a stop to this thing.

The Ninja Warrior-like course had been designed by the Hephaestus and Ares cabins, which already made it pretty high tech and dangerous. It’d taken about two weeks to plan and complete. They’d had to guard it to make sure no one went on it until it was completely tested (though that didn’t mean that campers were discouraged to test it out themselves). Will didn’t watch too much TV, but he was assured it closely resembled the obstacle course that mortals put themselves through. (Although, Will was sure normal people didn’t have spikes that shot out or fire. He had a hunch.)

“Okay, children,” Percy announces. He’d been watching campers all morning trying and failing. As of yet, no one had successfully made it all the way through. There had been some campers that had been so close, but their hand had slipped or they’d miscalculated the momentum. Will was glad that there was a somewhat soft landing (water), but it was getting kind of muddy now with all of the sweat and dirt.

“Watch and learn.” Percy cracks his knuckles, kissing Annabeth’s cheek. She just rolls her eyes at him, patting his shoulder.

“Make me proud, Seaweed Brain.” She laughs. Will can see some campers exchanging bets, laying money in piles. This obstacle course was a camp-wide event, and everyone participated, even if they were deemed too young to actually go on the course. (Chiron had set an age limit of twelve.)

Will sits down on the grass, wondering where Nico was. He usually liked watching these big events. Of course, he also really liked sleeping in until the late afternoon. Will supposes that the latter had won out today and that Nico was resting back in his cabin after teaching three classes yesterday.

Will watches as Percy makes it through the first obstacle. They were some kind of bouncy ball-like things that the participant had to jump across. Will didn’t know what any of this stuff was called, but he was starting to see the appeal of it. It tested strength and agility. It wasn’t something that just the biggest and the strongest could do.

Percy makes it past the next two obstacles easily. He dodges the spikes by ducking, winking as he does so. Will counts. Percy’s got four more obstacles to complete. Will’s pretty impressed. When he’d first come to camp, he’d had a big crush on Percy. It was pretty obvious why. Percy was handsome and strong. He had this playful quality about him.

Percy swings himself onto the next platform, his fingers almost slipping too soon. He manages to catch himself, but it’s clear that he’s wearing down. Will can detect the faint trembling of Percy’s muscles, the way that his breath is coming in and out more quickly. But he takes it all in that Percy-like stride. He grins and winks and makes jokes. And when he splashes into the water, he comes up completely fine.

Will doesn’t even bother to ask Percy if he’s okay. The whole camp knows about Percy’s being healed by water thing by now.

“Nice try, man,” Jason says. He claps Percy on the back, stepping up for his turn.

Jason studies the course for a minute or so before stepping off the starting platform. He’s quicker on his feet than Percy, landing more gracefully. Will wonders if he’s somehow harnessing the wind to catch him a little. No one seems to notice or care. Will watches Jason maneuver across something that looks sort of like monkey bars, except, the platforms the bars are hanging from move. Jason barely clears that obstacle, almost missing the platform as the bar moves with his momentum. Jason’s got three more obstacles to go when his foot slips, and he’s down.

There’s a great disappointment from the crowd to see that the obstacle course has taken out two of the Big Three already, and it’s just barely past lunchtime. Will glances around, seeing that more drachmas are being exchanged. He wonders how many people had thought Jason was going to make it across.

“Hey, Will, you going to do it?” Kayla asks. Will shakes his head. He was definitely not going on any death-trap. He liked his body just the way it was. He didn’t feel the need to dislocate a shoulder or sprain an ankle. He also knew he definitely wasn’t as fit as Jason or Percy, and they hadn’t made it across.

“What about you?” Kayla laughs.

“Nope. It’s just fun watching.” She pauses. “Although, I’m starting to get a little tired of setting broken bones. You’d think they’d come up with a different injury by now.” She laughs again.

“Don’t challenge them,” Will says. If demigods did anything, it was rise to a challenge. They seemed to be hardwired to not back down, even with a broken arm or a sprained ankle. Will’s ready to call it a day with how many campers he’s had to restrict from trying again after being seriously injured.

“Hey,” comes a voice. Will looks up, over his shoulder, to see Nico standing there. “Hold this for me?” he asks. Will holds out his hand, and Nico hands Will his sword.

“Wait, you’re not doing this thing, are you?”

Nico shrugs, putting earplugs in. “Are you going to cheer for me, sunshine?” He winks, and Will thinks he’s going to faint. Then Nico’s stepping up to the starting platform. Will groans, laying back in the grass. The campers are all cheering Nico on. Kayla pats Will’s arm.

“He’s actually doing pretty amazing, Will,” she says. “You might want to watch. Supporting your boyfriend is a good thing, yeah?”

Will groans again, but he sits up. Nico’s at the salmon ladder, wiping his hands on his shorts. Then he moves, and Will doesn’t think he’s ever seen such a beautiful thing. Nico’s wearing a muscle T and basketball shorts, which definitely show off his skinny frame. But they also show off his lean muscles. Will knew his boyfriend was fit, but sword fighting didn’t show nearly as many as this did. Will watches the way that Nico’s body moves with him, the muscles barely straining

When Nico’s finished the ladder, he strips off his shirt. And now Will’s really sweating. Nico’s sweating, coating his body in sunlight. It should be gross, but Will thinks he’d still be okay if Nico hugged him right after this. Nico makes it to the final obstacle, this giant skateboard ramp-looking thing, and he just runs right up it like he can fly.

The crowd is so loud now that Will can’t even think properly. He grabs a water bottle from the cooler, getting up to find Nico. It takes a minute to push through the crowd. Nico’s not overtly smiling or even reacting to the praise. He accepts the water bottle, chugging it. Then he sends a wink Will’s way, reaching out to take his hand.

“Did you cheer for me?” he asks. Will’s not sure how he’s ignoring the screaming fans. “Or were you too busy trying to figure out which arm I was going to break?” Nico grins.

“The latter,” Will says. Nico rolls his eyes.

“I can take care of myself, you know.” He shrugs. “Besides, I do stuff like this all the time.” He accepts a second water bottle, drinking this one slower.

“Like defying death?” Will asks. Because, technically, Nico did do that. They all did.

“Kind of. I’ve done several Tough Mudder things and stuff like that.” He shrugs again. “Makes things exciting every now and then.” He reaches up to kiss Will’s cheek. “Anyway, I’m going to go and take a shower before dinner. See you later?”

Will just nods.  
-  
“How the heck?” Will asks. Well, pants. Nico rolls his eyes.

After watching Nico completely dominate that course about three years ago, Will had decided he’d start working out. Because running around camp and practicing archery were all good things, but they didn’t exactly build Ninja Warrior-type muscle. So Will had started training on the climbing wall and on some less death-defying monkey bars.

“Takes practice, I guess,” Nico says. He’s still standing, Will thinks. After hours of training. Well, maybe not hours, but it felt like hours. “Come on, stand up. We’ve only been here for an hour.”

Will groans, falling back. He spreads out like a starfish. “Go on. Leave me behind. I’m not cut out for this sh-“

Nico cuts him off with a kiss. “And I love you for that,” Nico says. He’s grinning, almost smirking.

“You love me because you can totally beat me on an obstacle course?” Will asks.

Nico shrugs. “Yeah. And for other things, too.” He hands Will a water bottle. Will just presses it against his forehead, sighing. “Come on. At least get up so we can eat or something.”

Will flops his arms around. “I can’t. I’ve turned into jello. I’m a jellyfish now.” He wiggles his legs like he assumes a jellyfish would.

“Come on, sunshine. Up, up. At least sit up.” Will groans, sitting up. His muscles burn. He’s not weak, but he’s definitely not built to do obstacle courses.

Nico kisses his cheek, opening the water bottle for him. Will chugs at least half of it before sighing. “I am never doing this again. I quit.” Will reaches up. “Carry me.”  
Nico laughs. “Can we have McDonald's for lunch?”

“We had McDonald's just last week, Nico!” Will says. Even as tired as he is, he can still rattle off all of the reasons McDonald's is bad for you.

Nico crosses his arms. “Then you’ll just have to walk yourself, then.”

Will pouts. “Nico, no!” He latches onto Nico’s arm. “Please, have mercy on me!” Nico shakes his head. Will huffs. “Fine. But you’re carrying me to McDonald's.”

Nico smiles, lifting Will easily. “You’re sweaty,” he says. Will sticks his tongue out.

“So are you. I don’t know how you manage to do these obstacle courses if you eat stuff like McDonald's.” Nico shrugs.

“It’s a gift. I love McDonald's, so McDonald's loves me.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s not how it works,” Will says. Nico laughs.

“Come on, sunshine. It’s time for Happy Meals.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are appreciated :)
> 
> I also take prompts.


	2. hear the beat of my heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico can't hear songs inside his head, so he plays music to fill the space. Songs are the only thing Will can hear.

“You know what they say about people who don’t have soulmates,” comes a voice to Nico’s right. He’s not actually sure what they say about people who don’t have soulmates. According to his history teacher, everyone has a soulmate. Whether or not soulmates found each other was the more complicated part. Still, Nico wasn’t sure. Were there people out there who didn’t have soulmates?

He’d never told anyone about his soulmate. Or lack of one. Whenever someone asked, he always just named a random song, smiling and laughing like everyone else did whenever their soulmates came up. But Nico was sure he didn’t have a soulmate. He never heard songs in his head. He assumes that he either doesn’t have a soulmate or that they were long dead.

“Nico?” Hazel asks. She pokes him with her straw. “You zoned out there. Whatcha thinking about?”

Nico shrugs. “How unbelievably sappy you two are,” he says. Hazel blushes. She and Frank had been dating for two years, but she still blushes every time they kiss. Frank is much the same way.

Hazel swats at him. “We’re not that bad, right?”

Nico glances around the cafeteria. He glances over at a couple that’s practically mating. “You’re definitely not as bad as them.”

Hazel blinks. “Oh. I hope not.” Nico laughs.

“We’re not,” Frank assures her. He takes her hand, kissing it. Nico rolls his eyes, standing up. He has some homework to finish before his next class. He quickly turns around, knocking someone over.

“Hey, sorry, man,” Nico blurts out. He bends down, trying to ignore the laughter that’s now sounding around the cafeteria. (He really thinks people should mind their own business.) He sets the empty milk carton on the tray, grabbing some napkins to clean up the spill. The guy doesn’t say anything, just frantically picks up his spilled lunch, wipes his hands on his pants, stands up. There’s a faint blush on his cheeks, and he doesn’t quite look Nico in the eyes. He makes a quick motion with his hands, his palm moving from his mouth towards Nico. Then he leaves.

“That was kind of weird,” Hazel says. “He’s usually so friendly.” Nico shrugs. He’s never seen that guy before. He was sure he’d remember those blond curls and piercing blue eyes. Especially those freckles. He snaps out of it, hurrying to his next class, hoping that he still has time to finish up his homework.  
-  
Will lays on his bed, eyes closed. His soulmate is listening to the Disney soundtrack, one of Will’s favorites. He loves the upbeat songs, the characters. Disney moves were his favorite growing up, and they still are. Now, he watches the movies without wondering exactly how the songs went. He doesn’t have to stare at that little music note and wonder what singing was. Now, he knows.

He’s supposed to be doing his homework, but he doesn’t want to. He’s in a good mood, and he doesn’t want to spoil it by doing complicated math and memorizing dates of devastating wars. Instead, he takes out his sketch pad, flipping to a clean page. He grabs a pencil from his nightstand, the graphite hovering just over the paper. In his opinion, the hardest part about drawing was deciding what to draw.

Will closes his eyes, sinking back into the Disney songs. He knows all of them by heart now, even the newer ones. And then he starts sketching. By the time his pinky is smeared in graphite and his hand is cramping up, he’s got an almost cartoon-like series on his paper. He’s drawn out every Disney character that’s popped into his head, little speech bubbles showing what they’re singing.

He sighs. He wishes he could give his soulmate something to listen to. He wonders which playlists are his soulmate’s favorites. His soulmate seemed to make a new playlist almost every week, always adding more songs. Will likes that. He doesn’t have to wonder what kids are listening to at school, what his own siblings are listening to. Now, when they show him their playlists, he can smile and now. He’s heard that before.

He feels three taps on his shoulder, opening his eyes. Kayla’s standing next to him.

“Time for dinner. Nice drawings,” she says. She smiles at Will, patting his shoulder. He closes his sketchbook, washing his hands before heading downstairs.

His mama kisses his cheek, smiling at him. She ruffles his hair, commenting on how tall he’s getting. He sees her every day, but she’s convinced that he’s growing every night. Will smiles, sitting down in his usual spot. Michael and Lee walk in, arguing about something it looks like. Will watches their mouths move, almost marveling at how easy they communicate.

“Smells good, Mama,” Michael says.

“I love your cooking,” Lee says. They both sit down. They all say the blessing, their hands moving in time with their words. Will moves his mouth, though he’s not very good at speaking. He still tries, but it’s embarrassing now. He’ll never be as good as his siblings, and speaking won’t help him hear. He’ll be the only one who can’t hear himself speak.

They all go around the table, sharing good things about their day. Kayla talks about acing her test. Lee talks about getting that promotion at work. Michael talks about how he’s so ready to graduate. Will stays silent. His day was good as usual, nothing spectacular happening. He didn’t have any tests, any projects.

He’d sat alone at lunch because Reyna, his interpreter, had to make up a test she’d missed earlier in the week. So he tells the story of running into this kid at lunch. He illustrates the way he spilled his lunch all over the floor. He’s sure some of the kids were laughing, but he couldn’t hear them. In explaining all of this, he almost knocks over his glass of water.

“Did he help you?” Kayla asks. Will nods The boy had been very nice, wiping up spilled milk and the remnants of Will’s sandwich. They all smile.

Will loves his family, but sometimes they got really protective of his deafness. When Will was in elementary school, his mama had marched down to the school, demanding that he have an interpreter. Will still hadn’t mastered lip reading, and he hadn’t had the surgery to get cochlear implants. (It was super expensive and required a lot of time his mama just hadn’t been able to provide then.) So, now Will had Reyna, a girl who had grown up in a deaf home, though she could hear.

Will and Reyna had bonded almost immediately. Will was desperate for a friend, and Reyna was so blunt with everything she said, no tricky metaphors or trying to read tone. They hung out after school and during lunch and sometimes on the weekends. Will didn’t know what he’d do without Reyna. (He didn’t want to think about what would happen after they graduated.)

“I heard from my soulmate again!” Kayla says. She beams as she tells the story of suddenly hearing Imagine Dragons during her science class. She gets so excited, she forgets to sign a part, and Will gets lost in the story. He picks up the piece he’d missed as his family starts asking questions. Kayla’s blushing.  
-  
Nico’s shelving books in the library when two people come in. He glances over to the circulation desk, not surprised to find that the librarian was gone. He was always running off to get more coffee or text his girlfriend. Nico didn’t really care. Most people who came to the library seemed to know their way around or at least knew how to find out how to find their way around.

He likes working at the library because it’s relatively easy. His main job is to shelve and check out books. Most of the time, he’s just left to wandering through the aisles, making sure everything looks good. Most people mistake him for a random teenager, looking for a book. Nico just plugs in his headphones and listens to music while he’s working. No one really pays him any attention.

He’s surprised when he feels three taps on his shoulder. “Excuse me?”

He looks up. “May I help you?”

The girl smiles. “We were looking for this book on baking pastries. The catalog says it’s in, but we can’t seem to find it.” She glances at the guy next to her. He smiles at Nico, and Nico recognizes him from the cafeteria.

“Um, well, I can help you look. Someone probably either just checked it out or misplaced it,” he says. They have return carts for a reason. He doesn’t understand why people take the trouble to try and re-shelve books when they put them in the wrong place and make his job harder.

He leads them down the aisles until they get to the right section. The girl gives him the call number, and he starts scanning the spines. He glances up when he thinks that the girl is waving at him. Instead, she’s just moving her arms around in what Nico thinks is sign language. He wonders if the guy from the cafeteria is deaf.

“Oh, here’s your book. Mis-shelved.” He smiles, handing it to the girl. She hands it to the guy. The guy extends his palm from his mouth towards Nico.

“Thank you,” the girl translates. Nico smiles.

“Do you like baking?” Nico asks. He loves baking. He and his mama would always dedicate the third Saturday of every month to baking whatever they wanted to. “If so, these books have really good recipes, too.” He pulls them off the shelf, holding them out. Reyna translates as the guy flips through the pages. He sets the books down so he can sign.

“I love baking. These look amazing. Thank you!” Nico nods.

After they leave, Nico returns to shelving books. He wonders if the guy has found his soulmate, if it’s the girl. He wonders how that works, if he can hear the songs she listens to. He supposes that he would be able to. After all, everyone describes the songs as being played inside their heads. There wouldn’t be any need for ears. But then he wonders how the girl knows that she’s his soulmate. She wouldn’t be able to hear music, would she? Not inside her head, at least.

Nico doesn’t know.  
-  
Will isn’t sure why he’s nervous. He figures it’s because he’s never talked to this boy before. He doesn’t even know the boy’s name. Just that he works at the library in town and that he loves baking. Will wonders if he also loves Disney movies. He kind of hopes so.

He taps the boy’s shoulder three times, smiling. The boy looks surprised when he looks up, but he smiles at Will. “Hi,” he says.

“Thanks for the books,” Will says. “They were amazing.” The boy looks confused for a moment before Will remembers he doesn’t know sign. He quickly scribbles his message onto a piece of paper. The boy smiles. “What’s your name?” Will adds.

“Nico.” Will smiles. He liked short names. Then he didn’t have to feel bad about sometimes shortening them. “And yours?”

Will blushes. “Will.” He smiles. It’s always kind of awkward to Will to have to write stuff down and also make eye contact with the person, but it feels easier this time.

“I’m glad you liked the books. I can recommend a few more,” Nico says.

“Do you bake a lot?” Will asks.

Nico nods. “Every month at least. With my mama.” He smiles, and Will loves his smile.

Will hesitates before writing his next message. “Would you want to bake with me? Maybe?” He slides the paper towards Nico, blushing as Nico reads it. Nico doesn’t write back immediately, and Will hopes that he’ll at least be nice about letting Will down.

“What would you want to bake?” Nico finally asks.

Will shrugs. “I don’t care. Cookies are my favorite, but we can bake anything. Probably.” Nico smiles at the last part.

“I like cookies,” he says. Will smiles. “Sure. How about this Saturday? Is your house okay?” Will nods. He has no idea what’s happening this weekend at his house, but he’s sure it’ll be the usual chaos. “Here’s my number.”

Nico’s blushing when he rips off this piece of paper, handing it to Will. Will quickly writes down his own number, blushing, too. Then they stare at each other a bit, not quite knowing what to do. The bell must ring because Nico startles, and kids start pouring into the hallways. Will’s phone vibrates, alerting him to go to his next class.

“See you later!” Will calls. Nico waves.  
-  
Nico’s humming some random Disney song as he leaves the house. Saturday hadn’t come fast enough, but now it was here. Nico was a little nervous as he drove to Will’s house. He didn’t really know Will, but he seemed really nice and friendly.

Hazel had teased Nico all week about being nervous for Saturday, like they’d planned a date or something. Nico had corrected her each time. This wasn’t a date. It was simply two guys getting together to bake cookies. Nothing more and, hopefully, nothing less.

He gets to Will’s house just a bit early. It’s because he always tries to be a little early to things, not because he’s trying to impress Will or anything. A lady answers the door, smiling.

“You must be Will’s friend. Nico, right?” Nico nods. The lady smiles. “I’m his mom. You can call me Naomi.” She ushers him into the house. The house is warm and inviting, flowers sitting on the table, though it’s only February. There’s a crashing sound down the hall, followed by some yelling.

“Sorry about the noise. It’s been so rainy and cold that we’ve all been cooped up in the house a bit too long.” She laughs. Nico understands. He only had one sister, but he was very well aware of what would happen if he didn’t give her space. “I’ll go get Will. Make yourself at home, sweetie.”

Nico takes off his shoes, lining them up next to some muddy boots in the hallway. He hangs up his coat on the coatrack. He feels a little weird, like he really is making himself at home, but he also feels like it’d be rude not to. He’s contemplating whether or not he should sit on the couch or wait in the kitchen or just stand still when someone enters the living room.

“Hey, you one of Kayla’s friends?” Nico shakes his head.

“Will’s,” he says. “I’m Nico.” He holds out his hand, feeling like he has to have his best manners on display.

“Michael. Nice to meet you. Will slept in, so he might just be getting up now.” He laughs. “He stays up all night reading and then sleeps in forever. It drives Mama crazy.” Nico thinks he recognizes Michael. He’s definitely seen him around school. He’d never connected that he and Will were related.

Then Will’s entering the room. Nico kind of stops breathing for a moment. Will’s curls are a mess, sticking up in random places. Will yawns as he walks in, stretching so that his sweater rides up just a bit to show off his stomach. Nico smiles at the way that Will’s sweater definitely does not match his pajama pants, but he doesn’t really care. (He thinks it’s super adorable.)

Will notices Nico, pausing before waving hi. He quickly signs before rushing back down the hall.

“He says he forgot what time you were coming. I’m thinking he’s going back to change clothes.” Nico laughs. “You’re welcome to sit down. Will can take a while sometimes. Are you hungry? We’ve got cereal.”

Nico shakes his head, sitting on the couch. He hears Michael pour himself a bowl of cereal before sitting down on the couch. He switches on a game console, balancing the bowl in his lap while he sets up the game. Nico watches Michael play a few rounds, wondering if he should have taken him up on his offer of cereal. It was almost lunchtime.

Will comes back in, smiling. He pauses, glancing at Nico when he notices the video game. Nico gets up, heading into the kitchen. Will’s not quite frowning at him, but he’s looking at Nico oddly. Then he shrugs, following Nico into the kitchen.

“What kind of cookies?” Nico asks. Will opens up one of the books he’d gotten at the library, pointing. Nico smiles. He loves snickerdoodle cookies. Will gets the ingredients out while Nico preheats the oven. Then they get to work.

“May I put music on?” Nico asks. He isn’t sure if it’ll offend Will or interfere with Michael’s gaming, but Will nods. He gets that funny look on his face when the music starts, but he doesn’t offer any explanation for it.

Nico takes the dry ingredients, while Will takes the wet. Then they roll out the dough. Will has to roll up his sleeves, so he doesn’t get sugar all over them. Nico notices that Will’s definitely done this before. He rolls out the dough, quickly shaping his portion into cute little balls and rolling them in the sugar/cinnamon mixture.

“They’re Mama’s favorite,” Will says. (Will’s placed a pad of paper between them so that they can communicate.) “And her birthday is coming up, so I thought this would be a nice surprise.”

Nico smiles at that. His mama’s favorite cookie was chocolate chip, but her birthday wasn’t until September. Nico bobs his head along to the music. He had his playlists on random, so he wasn’t sure what song would be coming on next, but it didn’t matter, since they were all good.  
They fill the baking sheet with cookie dough and pop it into the oven.

“Want some hot chocolate while we wait?” Will asks. Nico nods. Will goes to ask Michael, too, before placing some milk on the stove. He lets Nico choose a mug, so Nico chooses the one with a reindeer on it. He finds one with a penguin on it for Will. Michael gets one with a cat.

Nico’s never sat in silence with someone before, not like this. Usually, he uses his music as a way of escape, to prevent it from being awkward. He always feels weird when he’s in a conversation with someone and the other person fell silent. He isn’t very good at picking up the conversation. But with Will, he doesn’t feel like he has to. Will is so expressive, even without his voice or sign language.

He smiles at Nico, stirring the milk.

“Can you teach me some sign language?” Nico asks. Will beams, nodding. He immediately launches into teaching Nico the alphabet, almost forgetting about the milk. He takes it off the burner just before it’s going to burn, pouring it carefully into the mugs. He stirs in the cocoa powder, smiling.

“Marshmallows? Whip cream?” Nico grins. He piles the marshmallows into his mug, sighing when they start to melt. Will squirts a small dollop of whip cream into his mug, decorating it with marshmallows. He delivers Michael’s mug before coming back into the kitchen. They sit at the counter, Will helping Nico with his fingerspelling. Will’s name is much easier to remember than his own, Nico thinks.

Will smiles at him, patient as he gives Nico the next letter. “I can’t imagine having to learn words,” Nico says. Will shrugs.

“Words are easier. It’s kind of like acting.” Will signs a few things, explaining what they mean. Nico feels like he’s starting to get the hang of it. The oven timer goes off, and Will gets the cookies. The whole house probably smells like cinnamon and sugar, which isn’t really a problem at all.

“Something smells wonderful,” Naomi says, walking into the living room. She smiles at them, reaching for a cookie. Will swats at her.

“Hot,” he says. Naomi smiles.

“I’ll just have them with milk, then,” she says. She pours herself a glass of milk, grabbing two cookies. Nico watches as she dips them in the milk, smiling. “Perfect. Absolutely amazing.”

Will beams, grabbing a cookie of his own. It’s clear they’re still hot, but he manages to take a small bite. Nico laughs when Will almost drops his cookie. He waits until they’re a little cooler before trying one. And then he has to stop himself before he eats the whole batch. They make two more batches before they’re out of dough.

“May I see your music?” Will asks. Nico thinks it’s an odd request, but he hands his phone over, letting Will scroll through his playlists. Will’s face lights up when he finds something. “Can I play it?” Nico nods. His Disney playlist starts, and he starts singing along. Will smiles. “My soulmate loves Disney music,” he says.

“Yeah?” Nico asks. Will nods, grinning. He’s not sure what else to ask. He’s glad that Will has a soulmate, has a way of finding his soulmate.

“What does your soulmate listen to?” Will asks.

“I don’t have one,” Nico says. Will frowns. “I mean, I never hear anything. No music, no soulmate.”

Will frowns deeper. “Maybe he can’t hear music,” he says. Nico shrugs. He’s been through all the possible scenarios, and he’s decided that he no longer wants to get his hopes up. He doesn’t want to keep searching if there isn’t anyone out there for him to find.

Will taps Nico’s hand. “I’m sorry,” he says. His fingers are twitching like he wants to say something. They fall still.

Nico shakes his head. “It’s okay. I’ve gotten used to it.”

“Well, who needs soulmates when you have friends,” Will says. He’s smiling again, looking right at Nico. Nico smiles back.  
-  
Reyna’s sitting on Will’s bed, flipping through his sketchbook. He’s trying to figure out how to tell Reyna that he found his soulmate. He’s not sure if he’s jumping to conclusions, but Saturday had been pretty solid evidence. Will scoots closer to Reyna, nudging her. She looks up.

“I found my soulmate,” Will says. He waits for Reyna’s reaction. He’s expecting her to be surprised or upset for not telling her sooner. Instead, she’s smiling, her eyebrows raised.

“Who is it?” she asks, though Will has a feeling that she already knows.

“Nico.” Reyna grins. “I haven’t told him yet,” Will adds, anticipating Reyna’s next question.

“Do you want to?” Reyna asks. Will shrugs. He isn’t sure. He’s thought about it so much that he’s already dreamt up a million ways to tell Nico. The only thing is, he’s not sure if Nico will believe him. Nico had looked so upset when he’d talked about his soulmate, and there hadn’t been any sign of that Disney playlist all week. It was only slower songs and classic rock right now.

“Do you think he’ll like me?” Will asks. No one really wants a deaf soulmate. They couldn’t share the songs in their heads. They couldn’t listen to music together. If Nico was Will’s soulmate, that meant he didn’t hear songs in his head. He only heard silence. Will wonders if that’s why Nico’s always listening to music.

“He seems to like you,” Reyna says. “He’s always smiling at you during school. And he’s learning sign language.” Will nods. He and Nico would eat lunch together now, with Reyna. They would eat their lunch and exchange sign language. Nico almost had the whole alphabet memorized, and he could sign hello, goodbye, and thank you.

“Maybe he just thinks I’m interesting?” Will asks. He’s had that before, people trying to be his friend just because he had a ‘disability’. He didn’t care too much for those people. He wasn’t some museum exhibit. He was just a normal person.

“Interesting like he wants to date you,” Reyna says. “Like he thinks you’re cute and funny and smart.” She grins, nudging him. “And I think you like him.” She points to his drawings of Nico scattered about the pages.

Will blushes. Most of them were Nico absently eating or doing homework. There was one (unfinished) where Will had actually asked if Nico would pose for him. He’d just gotten the sketching done when Nico had to go home.

“But what if he doesn’t feel the same way?”

Reyna pats his shoulder. “You’re always going to be soulmates, Will. But you don’t have to date right away. You can be friends first and see where it goes.”

Will nods. That seems like a good plan. He and Nico were just becoming friends. They didn’t have to jump right into the kissing and hugging and holding hands (unless they both wanted to).

“How do I tell him?” Will asks. He hadn’t dated before, had never really been interested in anyone before. But he really liked Nico. He didn’t want to mess this up.

“You could just give him flowers and tell him,” Reyna says. Will laughs. Of course, Reyna would say that.

Will smiles. “Reyna, would you help me bake some cookies?”  
-  
Nico’s waiting for Will outside. Will had told him he’d wanted to tell Nico something after school. So here Nico is, freezing his butt off. He’s kind of in a bad mood because Valentine’s Day was coming up, which meant that the whole school would be flooded with cheesy cards and songs and smooching. Nico didn’t really have anything against Valentine’s Day except that he didn’t have a soulmate to share it with. Hazel would always get him a box of chocolates, but it wasn’t quite the same.

He feels three taps on his shoulder and turns to find Will there. Will’s smiling, glancing down at his hands. Nico glances down with him. Will’s holding a Tupperware, suddenly holding it out to Nico. Nico smiles when he sees chocolate chip cookies inside. (They were his favorite.) Then Will takes a deep breath, signing something. Nico can only catch a few words, not understanding the entire message. Will hands him a piece of paper.

“I have found my soulmate,” Will says. Nico glances at Will. Will scratches the back of his head. “He likes Disney songs as much as I do, and he also loves baking.”

Nico feels his breath catch. “Is it possible?” he asks. Will nods, pointing to Nico’s phone. He pulls up Nico’s playlists, asking him to choose a song. Will closes his eyes for a moment. Then he jots down the song title. Nico nods. He plays three more songs before he’s completely convinced.

“It’s you,” he breathes. Will nods, smiling. Nico laughs. He can’t believe how ridiculous he was being, thinking his soulmate was dead or not allowed to hear music. (It was possible but very very unlikely.)

“It’s me,” Will confirms.

Nico shifts, looking down at his hands for a moment. “Is it okay if we don’t automatically become boyfriends? I just think that’s completely unreasonable.”

Will smiles, rolling his eyes. “I really want to kiss you,” he says. Nico feels himself blush.

“Maybe we can kiss and hold hands,” Nico says. Will nods. He leans down, pecking Nico’s cheek. Nico giggles.

“Was that okay?”

Nico nods, smiling. “More than okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am not deaf, and I do not know anyone who is deaf, so all the of the information I know is from reading about it. Please let me know if there are any inconsistencies or inaccuracies. I'd greatly appreciate that :)
> 
> Other than that, I hope you enjoy. Comments are welcome :)


	3. paw prints across my heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico gets a dog. Who immediately steals his heart.
> 
> (not a solangelo - just Nico loving a dog who loves him right back)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> two for today because they're short and the day has been kind of long

Nico needed volunteer hours for school. The problem with most volunteer opportunities was that he usually didn’t feel like he was really giving. He felt more like he was just there to satisfy his own needs rather than someone else’s. So he’d been scanning the internet, the local newspaper, the bulletin boards for any volunteer opportunities where he wouldn’t feel like he was just there to please some fancy institution that was eating all of his money.

His phone rings in the middle of his searching. It’s Frank, which is kind of odd. Frank hardly ever initiated communication first. He usually let Nico or Hazel do it. Nico wasn’t sure if Frank was intimidated by him or he just had very little to say to Nico. Either way, Nico was okay with it. He didn’t have any problems with Frank, so he was fine letting the guy do what he needed.

“Hey, Nico. I heard you were looking for volunteer hours.” Nico hums into the phone. His mouth is full of cereal, and he doesn’t feel like wasting a bite jus to answer Frank. (He’s got horrible phone manners, yes, he knows.) “There’s this adoption event with the local shelter on Saturday. I’m helping out, and we could really use some help.”

“What time?” Nico asks. It’s tempting to take another bite of cereal. (It’s at the perfect sogginess ratio.)

“Uh, from nine to twelve, but you don’t have to stay the whole time. We really just need help setting up and tearing down, but you’re welcome to come and hang out with the dogs.” He can practically hear Frank shrug.

“Okay, sure. Just give me the address, and I can be there.” He hates getting up early on the weekend, but he supposes that’s just what people do for dogs. It’s amazing, really, how much a person will sacrifice for a dog. Nico tries not to be one of those people, but he knows he is.

“Yeah, I’ll just text it to you. Thanks, Nico.” Frank hangs up. Nico quickly writes it down on his calendar so he doesn’t forget. He doesn’t want to disappoint the dogs.  
-  
On Saturday, he tells himself he’s doing it for the dogs. So he drags himself out of bed, puts on decent clothes, and has his breakfast. Then he’s at the shelter at eight thirty. He’s on his second cup of coffee, but he doesn’t really care once he sees the dogs. They all look so sad inside their cages, and they all look so happy to see him. He sneaks over to their cages, cooing at them, before he’s seen and has to work.

His plan lasts about five minutes before Frank spots him. “Hey, Nico!” He smiles. “We could really use your help setting up the pens and laying out dog bowls.” Nico nods. He’s handed a stack of dog bowls which he distributes to every pen already set up. Then he has to go around and fill them with water. Closer to nine, he gets to see the dogs again. They’re putting them on leashes and letting them roam around in the pens. The more tame ones get to just hang out.

A little after nine, people start showing up. Most of them bring little kids, and Nico tries not to cover his ears when he hears the little kids shriek with happiness. This is exactly why he doesn’t have kids and why he’s glad that Hazel and Frank have decided to wait to have kids. Still, it’s kind of cute to watch the kids and the dogs interact - because the dogs are so cute, of course.

As the morning moves on, Nico makes it his mission to visit every single one of the dogs. He starts with the puppies, rolling his eyes as they nibble on anything from his fingers to their toys. These are the kid’s favorites, which Nico understands, but it’s still kind of sad. He moves on to look at the older dogs. Most of the dogs are well-cared for. This shelter does a good job of providing them with adequate care and attention. It also gets a lot of support from the community during fundraisers and events such as these.

Nico hears a low woof, and he looks up. A medium-sized black pit bull is looking right at him. Her ears are floppy, and she’s wagging that whip of a tail. He smiles, waving at her. She woofs again.

“This is Mrs. O’Leary,” one of the volunteers says. He scratches the dog’s ears. “She’s actually super friendly despite her breed. Just a giant sweetheart, really.” He smiles at Nico.

Nico lets Mrs. O’Leary sniff at his hand before he tries to pet her. He guesses that he smells like a dozen other dogs, and he hopes she’s okay with that. Mrs. O’Leary woofs again, nudging at Nico’s hand. He scratches behind her ears, cooing.

“I think she likes you,” the volunteer says. “No pressure, but you’re welcome to take her home. As long as you fill out some paperwork.”  
Nico smiles. The dog’s tongue is out, and her tail knocks over her water dish.

“Okay,” Nico says. He hardly has to think about it, really. It feels like this dog can see into his soul. “Why’s she named Mrs. O’Leary?”

The volunteer shrugs. “Don’t know. She came with the name, and she won’t answer to anything else.” As if to prove a point, Mrs. O’Leary woofs.

“Do you want to come home with me?” Nico asks. “We’ll get you toys, and there’s a park nearby where you can run around.” He laughs as Mrs. O’Leary flops onto her back, looking at him.

“Here’s the paperwork, if you’ll just fill it out.” He pauses. “I assume you’ve taken care of a dog before?”

Nico nods. He’d had a dog growing up, but she’d recently died since he’d left for school. He quickly fills out the paperwork, showing Mrs. O’Leary when he was done. The volunteer stamps the document.

“Alright. You have officially adopted Mrs. O’Leary. This contains her medical history and everything that you probably need to know.” He smiles. “If you want to get anything for her from here, just show them this paperwork, and you’ll get a twenty-five percent discount.”

Nico nods. “Is it okay if I leave her here until the event is over? I’m kind of volunteering.” The guy nods.

“Sure thing. I’ll just make sure that no one else tries to steal her away.” Mrs. O’Leary licks Nico’s hand. He stays with her until he has to go and pack up the event. When he goes to pick her up, she licks him again, her tail whipping his legs.

“Should we get you some toys?” he asks her. She barks. They make their way around the shelter, picking up food and bowls. She’s already got a leash and a bed. He buys her a few toys and some treats. He can get the other stuff later.

He laughs as he drives home. She’s got her head out of the window, tongue flapping about. He’s pretty sure he’ll have to clean his windows, but he doesn’t really care. She’s having the time of her life, and who is Nico to try and stop her?

“Jason!” Nico calls when he gets home. “I’ve got a surprise!” He wanted to wait until Jason had come out of his room, but Mrs. O’Leary had other plans. She rushes into the room, her nail clicking on the floor.

“A dog!” Jason cries. Mrs. O’Leary greets him by shoving her face in his crotch, her butt wiggling. She licks his hand before rushing back to Nico.

“I think she likes you,” Nico says. He’s smiling. “Her name is Mrs. O’Leary, and she’s five years old. She’s the newest resident of this apartment.”

Jason just shrugs. “Okay. Welcome to our humble abode, Mrs. O’Leary.” The dog doesn’t pay him any attention, grabbing one of her toys from Nico and flopping on the couch. “Make yourself at home.”

Nico laughs.  
-  
Over the next few weeks, Nico introduces Mrs. O’Leary to the neighborhood. He tells her that she can’t bark in the morning or at night, she has to pee outside, and that she can’t scratch up his doors. He has her bed from the shelter, but she prefers to sleep right next to him. It’s not the most comfortable way to sleep, but Nico’s slowly learning that he can’t sleep without her pressed right up against his side, drool seeping into his pillow.

Even when he’s only doing homework or listening to music, she’ll jump up beside him, spin around three times, and then plop down as close as possible to him. It takes him just a bit longer to do his work now because he has to stop every few seconds and scratch behind her ears or kiss her head.

His favorite thing to do with Mrs. O’Leary is going to the park. He loves the walk down there, and he loves playing fetch with her. She’s got her favorite toys that she hoards in a corner of his bedroom. He’d tried putting a basket there to store them, but she’d moved the basket out of the way. So, now the corner is where she stashes her beloved toys. She’s got her red Frisbee, and the orange tennis ball, and the rubber duck. She has a few other toys, but she doesn’t like them as much.

Sometimes kids will come up and want to throw the Frisbee (even if it’s completely soaked with slobber). Mrs. O’Leary doesn’t really seem to care who throws the toy as long as it’s thrown, but Nico likes to think that he throws it the best. She always does a little dance when she brings the toy back, her butt wiggling opposite of her tail. She’ll bark and slobber all over him. He’s gotten used to that now.

Jason’s also gotten used to having Mrs. O’Leary around. He’s had to give up his favorite spot on the couch for her, and he’s also had to add lint-rolling his clothes before leaving to his daily routine. But Nico’s sure Jason at least likes Mrs. O’Leary. He’d once caught Jason trying to feed Mrs. O’Leary Cheerios (which he’d put a stop to; he wasn’t going to allow table-feeding).

So all in all, life with Mrs. O’Leary was definitely better than life before her.  
-  
Nico comes home from classes all morning. It’s raining outside, and everything’s grey. He’s cold from walking up the outside stairs to his apartment. It was early spring, but it could still get cold. He forgot his umbrella this morning, and he was really regretting it.

Upon opening the door, he’s a little worried when Mrs. O’Leary doesn’t come bounding to greet him. She always did that, and it never failed to brighten his day. He pulls off his shoes, hanging his sopping wet jacket over a kitchen chair. He dumps his backpack in his room, surprised when he doesn’t see Mrs. O’Leary there either.

He smiles when he looks in Jason’s room. He’s sprawled out on his bed, clearly having fallen asleep doing his homework. A few books are piled up next to him, and his glasses are askew on his face. He’s got one hand on his book, the other hand on Mrs. O’Leary’s back. She’s tucked into him, sleeping just as soundly. Nico snaps a quick picture, not wanting to disturb the moment. He wonders how often that happens when he’s gone.

He starts making lunch, trying to be quiet. The pasta is almost perfectly boiled by the time that he hears Mrs. O’Leary bark. And then she’s dashing to meet him. She smells like peaches and wet dog. Nico laughs as she licks a wet stripe up his cheek. He’s pretty sure half of his face is now covered in dog slobber.

“We went to the park this morning and got caught in a downpour,” Jason says. “So we both had to get baths after she covered us both in mud.” Nico laughs.

“But she’s so adorable.” He smiles at his dog, patting her head. He gives her a small treat, kissing her head.

“Yeah,” Jason says. “Muddy and adorable.” He rolls his eyes. “You owe me one. She didn’t want to take a bath.”

Nico laughs again. He doesn’t even want to know what state the bathroom is in. “Yeah, yeah. I made lunch.”

Jason perks up. “Debt paid,” he says as Nico sets a plate down in front of him.

The three of them settle on the couch, turning on a movie to watch. Mrs. O’Leary gnaws at a bone while Nico and Jason eat their pasta. The rain patters against the windows. It smells like peaches and wet dog and marinara sauce.

And home.


	4. loving you more every day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico's ready to take things further. Will has some insecurities.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just a mild make-out session, no smut

Nico can’t remember when he fell in love with Will Solace. He thinks of their first kiss, the first date (and many after that), cuddling on the couch, hiding during thunderstorms . . . Now, looking back on it, it seemed like he’d always been at least a little in love with Will. Who, after all, could have resisted someone who just exuded life?

Their first date had been something out of a novel. They’d gone to a two o’clock showing for some movie Nico can’t ever remember the name of. It was something with lots of action. He thinks it might have been some kind of spy movie, where the roguishly handsome man would come in and save the smart blond lady from certain doom and torture. But that’s not what he remembers about the first date.

What he remembers is Will’s warm hand in his, slightly sweaty and a little buttery from the popcorn they’d shared (and finished before the title screen even appeared). He remembers the way the screen lit up Will’s face, showing every contour, every dip and curve. Even in the dark, he’d noticed the slight blush on Will’s face when he’d reached for Will’s hand, surprised when Will curled his fingers between Nico’s. He remembered how the buttery scent followed them to the restaurant they’d planned to go to afterward.

Upon arriving at the restaurant, they’d both decided that they didn’t want to eat there anymore, so they went across the street to a little bakery and ordered two sandwiches and two pastries. Nico remembers Will’s laugh, so sweet and melodic, like hearing it for the first time, though they’d been friends for years. He remembers falling in love all over again.

Their first kiss had been much the same, a series of favorable events that led up to the final moment (or maybe not so final). It’d stormed that night, and when Nico went to the bathroom that night, he’d found Will on the couch, huddled underneath a pile of blankets. Without saying a word, he’d gone into the kitchen to make hot chocolate, something that always helped Will calm down, coax a smile onto his face.

Then they’d ended up playing video games until the storm passed. Neither of them had noticed the rain’s absence until Will sat up, stretched his long arms above his head. In the morning light, Nico thought Will looked like the sun god himself. He remembered staring at Will, a dopey smile on his face. Will had smiled back at him, leaning so close that Nico could smell the sugar on Will’s breath. And then they were kissing. The first kiss had been short, sweet, everything it should be.

They’d pulled back blushing madly, their fingers clenched around the blankets. Will had stuttered something about needing to use the bathroom. Nico spent the next few minutes folding blankets. When Will came back, they kissed again, and Nico knew that he was falling head over heels once more.

So Nico can’t remember when he fell in love with Will Solace, except to say that he falls in love a little more every day.  
-  
It’s a Tuesday morning, and Will’s still curled up against Nico’s side. Nico smiles into Will’s hair, straightening out a blond curl before watching it spring back into place. He loves the way Will’s hair has a mind of its own, the way that it doesn’t seem to care what Will wants, but it always seems to compliment him. After a few minutes, Nico can feel Will stir in his arms. It starts with a gentle shift. Then Will’s rolling over, stretching out his arms, his legs. He rolls onto his back, smiling at Nico with his morning breath and bedhead.

“Morning, sunshine,” Nico whispers. Will just beams. Nico leans down, kisses Will’s nose before moving on to his cheeks. Will blushes. Even though they’ve been dating for three years, Will never fails to blush every time they kiss. Nico never fails to find it endearing.

“What’s for breakfast?” Will asks. He runs a hand through his hair, somehow making it stick up even more.

“I haven’t gotten out of bed yet,” Nico says. Will pouts, his eyebrows scrunching up. Nico laughs, poking Will’s nose. “I was thinking eggs.” Will brightens at this, turning over to snuggle into Nico’s side. Nico’s breath catches as it does every time Will is overly affectionate. He’s always been (by Nico’s standards), but it has taken some time for Will to be comfortable with it showing it.

“You’re creating quite the obstacle,” Nico teases. Will presses a kiss to Nico’s collarbone, pulling away. They roll out of bed, each of them falling into their morning routine. Their routines were established two days after moving in, and they haven’t changed much yet. Will heads to the bathroom while Nico heads to the kitchen.

Nico cracks the eggs into a bowl before heating up the pan. Will comes into the kitchen, dressed for the day. Nico smiles, wrapping his arms around Will’s waist. Will hugs him back, a small laugh rising from his stomach.

“I love you, too,” he says. Nico gives Will a peck on the chin before heading back to the eggs. He doesn’t want them to burn. He scrambles them, knowing that they don’t have all morning to wait for the eggs to cook (not that eggs ever take a long time). He plates them. He and Will eat standing in their kitchen, each lost in their own thoughts.

Then it’s eight thirty, and Will’s leaving, kissing Nico on the lips. Nico finishes up his own breakfast, heading to the bedroom to get ready for work. His phone buzzes, and Nico glances at it while trying to pull a shirt over his head. He smiles when he sees that it’s Will, asking if Nico wants to meet up for lunch. Nico finishes getting dressed, sending Will a reply. Then he’s out the door.  
-  
They’ve just ordered take out and are waiting hungrily on the couch. Will’s got his glasses on to do some light (read: educational) reading. Nico’s trying to beat a level of Mario on his DS. After a few minutes, he realizes that Will is watching him. He raises his eyebrows. Will just laughs.

“I think it works better if you don’t jerk the DS around,” he says. Nico rolls his eyes. He can play however he wants to. He clicks on the level again, determined to show Will that he can win his way. He loses. “I just think it’d be easier to see and all,” Will adds. He shrugs. “Here. May I?”

Nico huffs, handing over the DS. He’s been trying to get past this level for three days, but he can’t seem to get past all of the lava. Nico smiles as Will loses. It’s not that he likes to see his boyfriend fail, he’s just glad that Will didn’t show him up on the first try. Will tries a few more times, each time getting more determined to win.

“I’ve almost got it,” Will says, his eyes never leaving the screen. His glasses are slipping down his nose, and Nico wonders if he plays better with him. (The glasses are for reading, but there isn’t too much reading in Mario.) Nico stifles his laughter as he watches Will jerk the DS around, moving the screen as he jumps from platform to platform. It’s cute how into it Will gets, even if he’s being hypocritical. “Yes! I did it!”

Will throws his hands up in the air, smiling. Nico smiles as he watches Mario slide down the flagpole.

“Thanks, Will. You’re right. Your way was much better.” Will sticks his tongue out, moving to pick up his book again. He pushes his glasses back up his nose. Nico rolls his eyes again as he clicks on the next level. He’s just sliding down the next flagpole when the doorbell rings. He hurries to grab the food, not wanting it to get cold or be charged extra for delaying delivery.

“I love it when you cook,” Will teases. Nico flicks Will’s ear.

“Careful or we’ll have to rely on your cooking,” Nico replies.

“Hey, my cooking isn’t that bad.” Will’s got his mouth full of lo mein.

“Not bad, but it isn’t as good as mine.” Will doesn’t reply. They both know Nico’s the better cook. It really isn’t that Will’s bad at cooking. He just didn’t like cooking as much as Nico did, so he was always looking for recipes that were quick and didn’t use too many dishes. Nico, on the other hand, didn’t care. Food was meant to be enjoyed, so why not make a mess of the kitchen?

They’re quiet as they eat, just the occasional chopstick war as they fight for the last bite of noodle or rice. They eye each other as they grab at the fortune cookies.

“Ha! I’ve got the best one!” Will shouts. Nico laughs. “What does yours say?”

Nico breaks his cookie, pulling out the paper. He shoves the cookie in his mouth, reading. “You will have a long and wealthy life.” He wiggles his eyebrows. “Just what I’ve always wanted. Top that.”

Will laughs, breaking his own cookie. “Your smile brings happiness to everyone you meet.” He smiles, “Yeah, I can get on board with that.”

Nico leans forward to kiss Will’s cheek, giving him a minute to swallow the cookie. They start slow, as making out was still new to them. Nico presses into Will, doing his best not to crush Will or elbow him. Will’s fingers are in Nico’s hair, guiding his mouth to his own. Nico’s knees are between Will’s legs, and Nico’s trailing kisses down Will’s jaw. Will’s head is thrown back, exposing his neck, his collarbones. Nico takes a moment to gently nibble at Will’s skin, smiling when he hears a breathy gasp.

Just two months ago, this wouldn’t have happened. Will’s hands slide down Nico’s sides, gripping at Nico’s hips. Nico feels his hips jut forward, a reaction more than anything, a blush rising to his cheeks. They haven’t gone this far before. They haven’t even talked about it. They keep kissing, Nico’s lips trailing further south. His hips jut against Will’s leg again, wanting a bit more. It takes a minute or so for Will to pull away, his eyes wide, his lips slightly parted. Nico sits back on his heels to give Will time to catch his breath.

“No,” Will says. “I’m not ready for that yet.”

“Okay,” Nico says. He smiles, trying to tell Will that it’s okay. He and Will were taking things slow. That’s what they had said when they’d first gotten together. That’d they’d take things slow, talk about things, communicate. Nico waits to Will to say more, but Will doesn’t. “It’s okay, Will. We can just kiss and cuddle. Or we can watch TV.”

Will nods. He scoots away from Nico just a bit, pulling a blanket over himself. He picks up the remote. He stops flipping through the channels for a moment. “I’m not upset or anything. I just-“ He stops, running a hand through his hair. “I just need a little space.”

Nico nods. “Okay. Thank you for telling me.”

Nico doesn’t quite understand why Will pulled away, but he understands the need for space. They’ve had moments where they’d gone too far too fast or had different ideas about things. Sometimes they just needed to have some time to breathe, to think things over. That was what space was for. It wasn’t pushing the other away. He’d asked for space a few times himself, when he’d been upset and didn’t want to yell, when he wasn’t sure why Will kept pushing back on their progress, when his parents had gotten divorced.

Will finds a movie that they both like. Nico feels a little awkward not being cuddled right up next to Will, but he doesn’t try to scoot closer. They’re only maybe three inches apart, and Will put that space between them for a reason. So he has to respect that. He glances over at Will, trying to read his facial expression.

It is complicated. It seems like Will is trying to figure out what it means, too. He’s fiddling with the remote, his legs crossed underneath the blankets. Nico can tell he’s not really watching the movie, that it’s just there for a distraction. He’s trying to figure out if Will is upset that Nico tried to push their relationship further, if he’s mad that they didn’t talk first, if he’s just simply not ready for anything like that yet.

Will glances over at Nico for a second. He gives Nico a small smile, offering his hand. Nico squeezes Will’s hand. He doesn’t think Will’s mad at him. Will would have said so.

It’s not until their getting ready for bed that Will completely dissolves Nico’s anxiety. Nico’s brushing his teeth when Will comes in, wrapping his arms around Nico’s waist, resting his head on Nico’s. He holds Nico like that until Nico needs to spit. When Nico crawls into bed, Will curls into his arms, sighing softly.

Nico smiles. They’re going to be okay.  
-  
It’s not until two days later that Nico gets his answer. He comes home from work, early because the day had been slow and he wanted to treat himself. So now he’s home. He’s surprised when he sees Will sitting on the couch. Will’s got a book open on his lap, but it’s clear he hasn’t turned the page in some time.

“Nico?” Will asks, not turning to look at Nico. “Can we talk? It’s not bad. Just some things I want to get off of my chest.”

“Yeah, sure. Do you want some tea?” Will takes a minute before nodding. Nico moves around the kitchen, getting out mugs and tea bags. He’s aware of Will’s eyes on him. He hopes whatever this is hasn’t been eating Will away. He gets the tea ready, moving to sit on the couch.“Is this okay?” Nico asks.

Will nods. He’s quiet for a moment, fiddling with the tea bag. “I’m demisexual,” he says after a minute. “Which basically means that I don’t really feel a lot of sexual attraction until I form strong emotional connections.” He pauses. “Which is kind of me saying that I don’t feel sexually attracted to you yet. And I don’t know if I ever will. And that’s why I stopped the other day.” He takes a sip of tea, looking up at Nico.

“Okay,” Nico says. It’s definitely not what he was expecting. He’s not sure what he was expecting, honestly. He didn’t think Will was going to break up with him, but he hadn’t exactly expected Will to say that he wasn’t sexually attracted to Nico.

“Just to make sure I understand this,” he says. “You don’t feel any sexual attraction to me.” Will nods. “But you may. It just depends on our emotional bond.”

“More or less,” Will says. “It’s kind of complicated, maybe. I swear it’s a real thing,” he adds.Nico smiles at him. “I believe you, Will.” He reaches out for Will’s hand. Will intertwines their fingers. “I believe you. If you say that’s how you feel, that’s all that I need to know.”

Will nods, looking like he might cry. “But I don’t know if I’ll ever want sex. Or how long it’ll take me to get there if I do.” He runs his thumb over Nico’s knuckles. “I just don’t want you to keep waiting or something and it never happens. Or it takes forever and you be disappointed or disgusted.”

Nico shakes his head. “Will, I love you. I don’t care if we never have sex or if our first time is when we’re forty. I love you. And, yes, your body is a part of that, but there are so many other things about you that I love.”  
Will’s definitely kind of crying now. Nico hands him a tissue. Will blows his nose before drinking more tea. “I feel like I should have told you sooner,” Will says. “Because you deserve to know.”

“This isn’t about what I deserve, Will. It’s about what makes you comfortable. If you weren’t comfortable with telling me until now, then I’m comfortable with waiting. I trust you, sunshine. I know you’re not hiding anything because you’re trying to be mean.”

Will nods, scooting closer to Nico. He leans his head on Nico’s shoulder. “I get so scared sometimes,” he says. “Because I feel like I’m holding you back. That you want more than what I can give you.”

Nico kisses Will’s hair, rubbing circles on his back. “I don’t want to ask for more than you’re willing to give, sunshine. We’ve been dating for three years, friends for forever. You’ve already given me so much, Will.” He kisses Will again. “How long have you been worrying about this?”

Will shrugs. “Since before our first date,” he says. “I knew you were looking for commitment, but I wasn’t sure I could give that to you. I wasn’t sure if we’d be better just staying friends or what. And I didn’t want to lead you on or anything.” He takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

“You never lead me on, Will. I was just as new to dating as you were. And maybe I was looking for something lasting, but I knew whatever happened, we’d be best friends.” Nico thinks he hears Will give a little laugh at that. “Will, can you look at me?”

Will slowly lifts his head, wiping at his face. Nico traces his face, running his thumb over Will’s freckles, his cheekbones, the ridges of his nose.

“I love you, Will. I love you for you. Not because you may want sex or because you have a car or blond hair. I fell in love with so much more.”

Will gives him a watery smile. “It’s not the blond hair?” he asks.

Nico laughs. “Well, okay, maybe that was part of it.” Will laughs. “But it’s mainly because you’re my best friend, and I can’t imagine life without you. And life’s okay without sex or making out or whatever else we’re not ready for. Maybe we’ll get there, and maybe we won’t. But we’ll have each other, and that’s all I care about.”

Will blinks a few times before rolling his eyes, smiling. “Okay,” he says. “Okay.” He leans forward, brushing Nico’s hair from his face. “I love you, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have just recently done some research on demisexuality. Please let me know if anything is inaccurate/incorrect. :)
> 
> Comments are appreciated :)


	5. snapshots

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (these are actually one-shots haha unlike the longer stuff I've been calling one-shots)
> 
> moments of solangelo featuring: a bench pressing competition, a broken hand, and a sweet moment at the campfire (plus some cute snuggling) :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> these can be read as a whole work on independently :) (there isn't a specific chronology, except for the last one does happen last)

Nico’s not sure how this whole mess started, and he’s not quite sure he wants to know. From what he hears, it had started out as a friendly competition to see who was the strongest- powers excluded. Now, it seems to be more than that. He’s already caught Jason and Frank trying to swim across the lake, scaling the climbing wall with no gear, throwing objects across the arena. (In a way, it’s almost like the Greek Olympics are back, minus the nakedness.) It’s bordering on absurd now, but it’s become quite the talk of the camp.

“I think it’s kind of weird,” Will says. Nico just shrugs. He’s helping Will in the infirmary. Since it’s a slow day, they’re just restocking the cabinets and cutting bandages. “I mean, they’re both super powerful. What does it matter who’s the strongest?”

“It’s just friendly competition,” Nico says. “They’re probably bored.”

Will grins. “I guess not everyone has such amazing friends that let them do awesome things in the infirmary, right?” Nico rolls his eyes. He was roped into this as a way to being more involved in camp activities. While it isn’t his first choice of activities, he doesn’t actually mind it as much as his groaning makes it seem. (Will being there was a bonus.)

“I hear they’re bench pressing children now.” Will laughs.

“Oh, I’d kind of like to see that.” Nico smiles. Will finishes cutting the bandages, waiting for Nico to finish packing them up. “I’m clocking off,” Will calls to Austin.

“Watch your step out there, man. It’s chaos,” Austin calls back.

Nico understands once he sees it. There’s a pretty big crowd in the arena. Will and Nico wind their way through the crowd, rolling their eyes in sync when they see Jason and Frank. The two men are laying on benches, eight-year-olds in their arms. The kids look like they’re having the time of lives, pointing at each other and laughing.

Nico notices Percy and Annabeth in the crowd. Percy’s cheering Jason on, and Annabeth’s just rolling her eyes. Jason sets the kid down, looking around the crowd. He grins, grabbing a random kid out of the crowd. He’s definitely older than the first kid, probably about thirteen or so. Jason grins, laying down next to Frank.

“Take this!” he calls. Frank groans, setting his own kid down. After this, kids start lining up to be lifted by either Frank or Jason. It seems to Nico that the kids themselves have their own bets going about who can lift the most.

“Who’s winning?” Will asks. His eyes are wide as he looks at both lines. The kids keep getting bigger, more buff. They’re definitely bench pressing at least their own weight now, hardly breaking a sweat. In fact, it kind of seems like they’re having more trouble coming up with fresh insults to throw at each other.

“I would say Jason, but Frank hardly looks like he’s even trying,” Nico says. Will nods, humming.

“Is this safe?” Will asks. Nico shrugs. It seems that the kids know what to do, how to get lifted and then be set down so as to not hurt the one lifting them. Nico supposes that’s the benefit of using people as exercise equipment rather than actual exercise equipment.

“Oh no,” Nico mutters. There’s a chorus of disappointment as Frank gets up, walking past the first kid in line. He’s scanning the crowd, grinning widely as he grabs Percy’s hand. “Poor Percy.” Will hums in agreement. Frank carries Percy back like he’s nothing more than a sack of flour, though Nico knows that all of that muscle has to have some weight.

Percy’s yelling at Annabeth, asking her to come and save him, yelling at Frank to let him down. The crowd’s fully enjoying this, laughing and cheering. Nico agrees that it’s definitely more work to hold a yelling and kicking Percy than a willing fifteen-year-old.

“Whatever,” Jason says, standing up. He stretches out his arms, wiping his forehead. He winks at Nico, quickly moving towards him. Nico tries to back into the crowd, but Jason grabs both his and Will’s wrists.

“What? No, wait. I’m not that heavy at all,” Nico yells. Will nods, laughing. It doesn’t matter, though, because Jason’s dragging both of them back to the center of the crowd. “I don’t even think this is legal,” Nico mutters. Will just shrugs. Then they’re both being lifted.

“This isn’t quite as bad as I thought it’d be,” Will says after a minute. Jason’s got a pretty steady grip on both of them, his arms pretty solid. “The view is pretty nice up here.” He grins at Nico, wiggling his eyebrows.

Nico raises his eyebrows. There’s nothing to look at except for a seething mass of sweaty demigods and a sweaty Jason. (And Will. Who more than makes up for all of it. But he’s definitely not going to say that.)

“Ha!” Jason calls from beneath them. Nico looks down in time to see Jason sticking his tongue out at Frank. “I won!”

Frank just shakes his head, lowering Percy to the ground. Percy stomps off, Annabeth just patting his shoulder. “You owe me one, Zhang!” he yells. Nico rolls his eyes.

“So dramatic.” Will laughs. Jason lowers them to the ground. Will reaches out to help Nico down, though Nico doesn’t need any help at all. Still, he grips Will’s hand as he jumps off of the bench. Jason pats their backs.

“Thanks for the help guys. Really appreciated it.” He winks at Nico again before running after Frank.

“I have no idea what that was about,” Nico says. Will just sighs.

“Wanna grab something to eat? I’m kind of hungry after all of that lifting.” Will lifts his arms, flexing. Nico just flicks him, heading to the dining pavilion.  
-  
Nico wants to curse the gods above that approved this fate. He’s currently in the infirmary, and he’s definitely not helping out. Instead, he’s given a bed and told to sit and wait. So, he’s pouting. He wants to cross his arms, though it’s childish, but he can’t. Because he’s broken his hand, and he doesn’t want the lecture that will follow if he makes it worse just because he wanted to pout correctly.

“What happened this time?” Will asks. He looks more amused than anything, and Nico groans. Of course, Will would be the person who would look more than pleased to see Nico pouting. “Don’t tell me you got into another fight.”

Nico shakes his head. Will sits down, and Nico holds out his hand. “It’s nothing. Just fix it. Please,” he adds.

Will smiles. “Doesn’t look like a fight. Unless that fight was a brick wall. Or a tree.”

Nico grumbles, trying to cross his arms. He hisses as he moves his fingers, completely forgetting. Will tugs his arm, holding his hand gently. Nico’s fingertips tingle or itch. They always do whenever Will touches his hand. (He thinks that maybe it’s some stupid allergic reaction. Like he’s allergic to people to who exude happiness and sunshine. It’s possible.)

“It’s just a little broken. Can you just fix it? I have a class to teach later.”

Will rolls his eyes. “If I’m healing this, you won’t be using this hand for at least a few hours. Just to make sure everything sets properly. I don’t go through all of this trouble for just anyone.”

“Well, it would take a lot of energy,” Nico says. He looks at his hand again, trying to make Will just fix it.

“I still want to know how you broke this. Like, you’ve really only broken a few fingers, maybe sprained your wrist. That’s pretty hard to do in a fight.”

Nico sighs. “It wasn’t a fight.” He looks up into Will’s eyes before quickly glancing away. “I just got really excited and kind of slammed my hand into a nearby wall. Really hard, I guess. And now it’s broken.”

Will smiles, chuckling quietly. He starts moving Nico’s fingers. Even though he’s being gentle, it still kind of hurts. “What were you so passionate about that you broke your hand?”

Nico can feel Will’s breath on his fingers as he closely examines the way Nico’s fingers bend. Nico’s not familiar with this technique for fixing hands, but he’s not going to say anything. He’d rather this than have to wait a few weeks for his bones to fix themselves naturally.

“I got into this conversation with Frank about Mythomagic,” Nico says quietly. It was kind of a secret that he indulged himself in playing the childish card game. (Especially since he kind of lived a real-life version of it.) “And he disagreed with me about the potential of this one card, so I had to set him right. And I always talk with my hands, and then I slammed it into a wall.”

Will’s still smiling at him now, and Nico realizes he’s gesturing around with his good hand, almost knocking over the nearby lamp. Will finishes setting Nico’s hand, closing his eyes. (Nico takes the moment to look at Will’s face without those blue eyes looking back at him. His favorite part of Will’s face has to be his freckles. Aside from his eyes. Or his smile. Or the way that his nose is both kind of pointy and kind of round.)

Will’s hand starts to glow a bit as he hums softly. He doesn’t have the perfect pitch and rhythm of his siblings, but he has something more enchanting and raw, like he’s more in-touch with whatever healing well he’s tapping into. Nico feels the familiar itch of his bones moving back in place, the soothing warmth of Will’s hand in his.

Will opens his eyes, smiling. “I’m going to get you some ambrosia. Sit still.” He disappears for a second, and Nico examines his hand. It’s a little achy like he’s sat on it for a while and it’s just waking up. He flexes his fingers, pleasantly pleased when he finds that they’re not stiff.

“Here, Nico.” Will hands him a square of ambrosia. “Eat all of it. And don’t use that hand for at least two hours to make sure the healing sticks.” Nico just hums.  
“So you play Mythomagic?” Will asks after a minute. Nico shrugs. Will smiles. “I have an old deck. I think Michael used to play it, and I inherited it. Want to maybe teach me sometime? If only to provide immediate medical assistance if you break your hand again.” Nico’s pretty sure he’s imagining the faint blush on Will’s cheeks.

“Um, sure. If you want.”

Will nods. “Tomorrow then.” He pats Nico’s knee. “You’re free to go. Stay away from walls!” Nico grumbles, rolling his eyes, but he can’t keep the smile off his face.  
-  
The campfire was a camp tradition. Technically, there is a bonfire every night, starting just at sundown. But the campfire activities only happen every few nights. During this time, there are songs, skits, stories. Nico’s favorite part of the campfire is the s’mores. He has a bit of a sweet tooth, and he thinks that s’mores are the perfect combination of sweet upon sweet.

“Hey, have you ever had a s’more with a pretzel?” Will asks. He’s taken a seat next to Nico, though his siblings are on the other side of the fire.

“Why?” Nico asks. “That’s not a s’more. That’s just chocolate and marshmallow and pretzels.”

Will laughs. The fire hides his freckles, but it brings out his smile. “No, it’s like sweet and salty. It’s so good. Here, I’ll make you one. And you will try it.”

Nico huffs. He wasn’t sure how he felt about Will endangering such a perfect treat, but he can’t bring himself to say no. He watches as Will expertly toasts a marshmallow, browning the sides to give it just the right amount of gooeyness and crunch. Then he smashes the chocolate and marshmallow onto a pretzel.

“Here. Taste and behold a wondrous creation.” Nico rolls his eyes. He reaches out to take the treat, but Will just moves his hand toward Nico’s mouth. Nico blushes, opening his mouth, trying to focus more on the taste of the food than on Will’s fingers brushing against his lips.

(It feels like electricity and waking up in the morning, something both startling and soothing.)

“So?” Will asks, completely unaware of Nico’s internal thoughts. Nico shuts his mouth, chewing. Swallowing. He takes his time, trying to clear his thoughts of Will’s skin touching his.

“It’s good,” he says. “But it’s not as good as the original.”

Will shrugs. “I can take that criticism.” He grins, his eyes ghosting over Nico’s lips. “You’ve got some marshmallow right here.” He points to his cheek, so close to his lips. (Nico wonders what his fingers brushing Will’s lips would feel like.) Nico tries to wipe the gooey marshmallow off of his face, but he can’t seem to get the sticky trail to stop following him.

Will reaches out, his calloused thumb sliding over Nico’s cheek, over the corner of his lip. If Nico wasn’t already dizzy with that, he is going to faint when he sees Will stick his thumb in his mouth. Lucky for him, the singing starts then.

While campfire wasn’t that late, Nico finds himself yawning. Will’s singing along to all of the songs, visibly reacting to all of the stories. Nico finds himself watching Will more than the performers. He finds himself leaning closer to Will. His head brushes Will’s shoulder.  
“Are you sleepy?” Will asks. There’s teasing in his tone, but Nico’s too tired to care. “I’ve been told that I’m a great pillow.” That’s all the permission Nico needs to let his weight sink into Will’s side. Nico can’t help but think that whoever said the thing about the pillow was right. Will’s soft and warm and grounding.

Nico feels himself being lulled to sleep by the vibration of Will’s laughter and the soft touch of his fingertips.

When Nico wakes up, he’s being carried. He’s too tired to be embarrassed that his legs are slung over Will’s arm, his head nestled into Will’s shoulder. Will smells like smoke and sugar and hand sanitizer, and it should be weird, but Nico likes it.

Will sets Nico down in bed, pulling off his shoes. Nico tries to move to help, but he’s feeling sluggish. He hears Will laugh quietly. “Pajamas?” Nico asks. He doesn’t want to sleep in his clothes. They’re sweaty and gross from a day of training and camp activities.

“Where?” Will asks. Nico can hear Will shuffling around. He holds up a T-shirt and pants. Nico’s so sleepy that Will has to help him get his arms through the right holes in his shirt. “Better?” Nico hums, leaning into Will. “You should brush your teeth, Nico. All of that sugar, you know.”

Nico grumbles, but he brushes his teeth for exactly two minutes before rushing back to bed. Will smiles at him, tucking him in. Nico tugs on his shirt.

“Will you stay? You’re warm,” Nico adds. He’s blushing, but he hopes that Will can’t see it. He’s not sure what’s wanting Will to stay with him save for the fact that Will’s soft and warm and feels like home in a way that Nico’s never experienced.

Nico almost thinks Will’s going to say no, but then he’s pulling off his shoes and shorts and sliding in next to Nico. Nico snuggles close to him, completely disregarding personal space. “Is this okay?” Will asks, his breath falling lightly over Nico’s cheek.

“You’re always okay,” Nico mumbles. He yawns. He’s so tired. “More than okay, even.”

Will chuckles. “Is that so?” His fingers find Nico’s chin, tilting it upward. In the darkness, Nico can just make out Will’s face.

“Yeah,” Nico says. “I really like you. Have for a while. Thanks for noticing,” he grumbles.

Will really does laugh this time, loud and startling. “I really like you, too.” Nico huffs, trying to get Will to settle down and snuggle again. “Hey, Nico?” Will asks. There’s a little teasing, but Nico detects nerves. “Do you want to hang out at the lake tomorrow? Maybe as a date?”

Nico tugs Will’s arm so that it’s laying around Nico’s waist. “Yes,” he breathes. “Can we sleep now?”

Nico knows Will’s smiling, so he just closes his eyes and listens to Will’s heartbeat. He’s almost asleep when he feels Will kiss his forehead, lips so gentle. Nico knows he’s probably going to freak out about this in the morning, but right now, he just wants to soak it all in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize that Will's a hypocrite because he doesn't brush his own teeth, but oh well.
> 
> Comments are appreciated :)


	6. nico's hat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hestia gifts Nico with a hat. Some of the campers don't seem to like it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning: implied/referenced bullying/teasing

The hat is brightly colored, red and orange and yellow. There’s a fluffy red puffball at the top, which is Nico’s favorite part (aside from the fact that it’s so warm). The red parts cover his ears, keeping them warm as he trains or sits by the campfire or eats his meals. He found it on his bed one morning after training.

“Nice hat,” Will says. “Where’d you get it?”

Nico grins. It’s his first compliment since he started wearing the hat. He had wanted to show Will yesterday when he’d gotten it, but Will had been cooped up in the infirmary with an outbreak of the flu - no visitors allowed.

“Hestia knitted it for me,” Nico says. He isn’t used to getting gifts, but he enjoyed getting them. He is flattered that Hestia has given him a gift, a handmade one. She is one of his favorite goddesses, but it isn’t always good to be recognized by a goddess. Still, Hestia is warm and comforting. She is part of the reason Nico had decided to stay at Camp Half-Blood.

“Is it warm? It looks soft.” Nico nods. He lets Will try it on, laughing a little. It looked a little funny on Will’s head, the bright colors clashing a bit with his already warm palette. “I like it, kind of jealous, really.” Nico just smiles. He tugs the hat back on his head, feeling the warmth seep back into his ears.

After breakfast, he has a sword fighting class to train. It’s a class mostly comprised of younger children, the ones who are either new to camp or just beginning to learn. They all smile when he walks in, immediately pointing and whispering.

“Where’d you get that hat?” one kid asks. His eyes are wide, and he can’t seem to stop staring at Nico’s hat. “It kind of looks like candy corn.”

“A friend gave it to me as a gift,” Nico says, a small smile on his face. The kid nods. Nico’s answer seems to have provoked more whispering. He gives it a few minutes before he calls the class back to attention. The kids stop whispering. One raises their hand.

“Can your friend makes me one, too?” It’s a little girl with a bright red scarf around her neck.

“I’m not sure,” Nico says. “But Christmas is coming up, so maybe you can put it on your list.” The girl nods, smiling. After that, there are no more questions, so Nico starts the class.

He enjoys teaching the younger children. They all look so eager to learn, and they ask so many questions. Half the time, Nico doesn’t know the answers, but he likes their curiosity. Training younger children also lets him work on his own technique by watching them come up with new ways to attack their opponent. Older children didn’t always do that, usually relying on tried and true techniques.

It’s not until after lunch that Nico starts hearing more whispers. He’d noticed them after his class, but it didn’t bother him too much. People whisper about him all of the time for one thing or another. He was the son of Hades, the Ghost King, the prince of darkness. He has a reputation that either gave way to respect or fear or admiration. He is used to this, so he doesn’t think much of it.  
-  
“It looks like a traffic cone,” Nico hears. The voice is soft, whispered. He only hears the comment because he’s walking by at right (or wrong) time. He glances over at the two guys, both of them turning their heads away, striking up a new conversation.

Yeah, the hat isn’t the greatest looking thing ever, but he likes it. The little mistakes in the knitting provide extra warmth, and the lumpiness makes it feel homemade (which it is). Sure, it’s not his usual color scheme, but it represents the hearth, one of Nico’s favorite symbols of Hestia.

“Are people whispering behind my back?” Nico asks. He’s been hearing the whispering for the last three days, and it seems to be getting worse. Jason and Percy glance at each other. “I mean, I know they are. But is it about the hat?” Nico clarifies.

Jason shrugs. “A little. I think people are just surprised. Warm colors aren’t exactly associated with you, you know. Kind of clashes with your whole emo vibe.” Nico sighs.

“I think it’s pretty cool,” Percy says. “It makes you look softer, less like you’re going to murder someone just because you had to wake up this morning.” He shoves a blue pancake into his mouth.

“I can still murder you, and I will if needed,” Nico mumbles. Percy holds up his hands.

“Yeah, man, I hear you.” Nico quirks up an eyebrow.

“Is the whispering really bothering you?” Jason asks. Nico shrugs. “Because we can interfere if you want us to.”

Nico shakes his head. “No, it’s fine. It’s just a hat.” He doesn’t understand the big deal. Everyone else is allowed to wear a hat. Will had a blue beanie that he wore. Annabeth had her baseball cap. Percy even had a dolphin hat that he wore from time to time. Half the people at camp worse hats or scarves or mittens, and no one ever said a word about it.

I like the hat, he tells himself. And it’s true, but he just needs some motivation to keep wearing it. He doesn’t want to upset Hestia, and he doesn’t want his ears to freeze just because people don’t like that he’s wearing a hat.  
-  
He’s exhausted. He had taught three classes today and helped Will out in the infirmary because they were short on hands. Nico just wants to lay down on his bed and take a long nap. He doesn’t even want to think about standing up until it’s time for dinner.

“Nico?” comes a soft voice. He startles, whipping around to face the fireplace. (He is lucky that he has a fireplace in his cabin. It seems that most of the other cabins are too crowded to have room for a fireplace.) “Is this a bad time?” Hestia asks.

Nico shakes his head. “Never a bad time,” he says. He loves when Hestia comes to visit. He knows part of that is her warm and inviting nature, but he also just enjoys her company. She always makes him feel like he belongs, even if he’s the only one there.

“I wanted to make sure you had gotten your gift.” Nico shows her the hat. It is laying on his nightstand. “I thought about waiting until Christmas, but the weather must be cold for you mortals.”

“It’s very cold,” Nico says. There was snow on the ground now, elevating the number of injuries. “Thank you for the hat. It’s very warm.”

Hestia looks pleased with herself, the fire crackling joyously. “I haven’t knitted too many things. I thought I’d give it another try. I was promised that the material was warm and would stretch. Just in case I made it too small.”

Nico smiles. “It’s perfect, Hestia. I really love it.”

She smiles. “Now, how’s that boy of yours? Did he compliment you?”

Nico blushes. He has told Hestia a few things about Will, but he is still trying to figure out some things himself. “He’s not my boy. Just a good friend. And yes. He tried it on. It looks ridiculous on him.”

Hestia claps her hands, grinning. “He’s already very warm,” she says. Nico nods. “And how are your friends?”

Nico tells her about Jason and Percy and Annabeth and Piper and all of his other friends. He doesn’t tell her about the teasing, and he wonders if he knows about it. He doesn’t want to upset her. Even though Hestia came across as very mild and soft, he knows that she is also very powerful.

Hestia asks more questions, even though Nico’s sure she probably already knows some of the answers. Still, he likes talking to Hestia. She almost felt like a mother to him, which he supposes was part of her charm. But sometimes he likes to think that Hestia knew his mother and tried to pass on that love.

“I hope you have a merry Christmas, Nico,” Hestia says. “Family gatherings here are not usually as pleasant.” Nico can only imagine holidays on Olympus. He figures that they must be a nightmare. “I try my best to keep everyone calm, but it is so exhausting.”

“Good luck,” he says. Hestia nods. “Thanks again for the hat.”

“Maybe that boy of yours will give you a matching scarf.” She winks at him before disappearing. Nico watches the fire crackle for a few more moments. It is soothing and comforting. It always feels just a bit warmer after Hestia leaves. Then Nico’s pulling the covers over him and falling asleep.  
-  
“It’s getting worse, isn’t it?” Will asks. It’s been a week since Nico got the hat. He’s been wearing it every day. “Are you sure it isn’t bothering you?”

He and Will are in the back of the infirmary trying to reorganize everything after the bout of flu and injury that had just come through. Nico continues to organize the different sizes of bandages, not looking at Will. He can tell from Will’s tone that Will’s concerned, but he isn’t sure what Will can do.

He shrugs. “It’s not that bad,” he says.

“Nico, please look at me.” Nico sighs, looking up. Will’s eyes are full of concern. There’s a small frown on his face. “Is there something I can do to help?”

“Not really. I mean, I don’t even know why it’s such a big deal. It’s just a hat.”

Will nods. “If you ask me, I think they’re all just jealous.”

Nico doubts that. From the looks he gets, he’s sure everyone is disgusted or somehow offended by the hat. He doubts that anyone else would want to wear it. It’s also mostly the older kids. The younger kids don’t seem to really care about Nico’s hat. If anything, they seem more in awe of him because he’s gotten a gift from a goddess. (They might be a tad jealous.)

“Don’t think so,” Nico mumbles. “It’s just annoying. Can’t everyone mind their own business?” He tugs the hat off of his head, scrunches it up in his fist, immediately feeling bad. He smooths it out, laying it on the counter. “Why do they care so much about what I’m doing?”

Will guides Nico to sit down, sitting beside him. “You’re a child of the Big Three. Everyone’s either scared of you or wants to be you. I think they’re just shocked to see that someone they thought they knew, they don’t really. They’re trying to get you to go back to what they thought you were.”

“What was that?” Nico didn’t really think he was anything particularly special. Sure, he had pretty extreme powers, and he got why that could be scary. But so did Percy and Jason, and no one seemed to care what they were wearing.

“I’m just guessing that their version of the Ghost King doesn’t include a brightly colored hat and a smile.” Nico huffs. He knows he didn’t make the best first impression on this camp, but they should really let that go. “If it makes you feel any better, I think you’re pretty cute. Maybe even more so with the hat on.”

Nico tries to will away the blush. “I can’t tell if I’m offended that you think I’m cuter with a hat on” he grumbles. Will grins. “But you can’t go around saying things like that. Then you’ll really destroy my reputation.”

“Oh, yeah?” Will asks. “What’s that? Because all I see is a pretty cool guy with some wicked powers who looks amazing in hats. Not too bad of a reputation.”

Nico rolls his eyes. He doesn’t know why he keeps Will around if all Will does is make him want to melt into a warm puddle of darkness. Will nudges his side.

“I think you’re the only one who thinks that,” Nico says.

“Well, I feel pretty special then.” Nico shakes his head. “But I’m pretty sure Percy and Piper and Jason would all agree with me. And I’m pretty sure those little kids you teach are pretty much obsessed with your hat. I think I overhead some of them planning on how they could steal it.”

Nico glances over at his hat, feeling strangely possessive of it now. “They’d better not,” he says. “Or they’re going to be seeing some zombies pretty soon.”

Will looks slightly horrified. Nico laughs. “Don’t worry, Solace. No one’s going to be able to take this hat away from me.” He gets up, sliding the hat back over his ears. “After all, I’m still the Ghost King.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments are appreciated :)
> 
> I'm kind of curious. Is there a particular collection of works (out of this series) that you like better? According to the stats, it appears that '(mostly) solangelo one-shots' is the most popular, and I wasn't sure if that's because of the fics or because of the number of chapters. Just curious.


	7. paws-itively oblivious

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico gets turned into a cat.

Nico is less than pleased. He’s actually trying to scratch Lou Ellen’s eye out at the moment. Which, yes, is kind of violent and gruesome, but he’s sure Will would be able to fix it in a heartbeat. He’s also sure losing an eye would teach someone a lesson. That lesson being not to turn people into cats.

“You’re quite a feisty cat,” Lou Ellen says. Nico hisses. He hates the word feisty. He hates that he’s a cat. He swipes at her again, but Lou Ellen just laughs, booping him on the nose. She grins at him, holding him just a little ways from her body. “Behave or else things could get worse,” she adds.

Nico tries to tell her things are already pretty bad, but he quickly closes his mouth when he hears the tiny mewling coming from his own throat. The only good thing about being a cat is that he can’t physically blush. His tail thumps against Lou Ellen’s stomach, but she doesn’t pay any attention.

“Just be patient. We’re almost there.” Nico feels his eyes perk out at that. He had been so busy trying to get out of her grasp that he hadn’t noticed that she was headed somewhere. “I think you’ll like this,” she whispers. Nico’s not so sure about that. They’re currently walking towards the cluster of cabins, and Nico hopes that she’s planning on dropping him off in his own cabin. Then maybe he can sleep this whole awful thing away. Maybe he’ll wake up back in his own body.

Lou Ellen knocks on a door, and Nico’s quite sure it isn’t his own. It’s too bright, too awake, not empty enough. A blond-haired kid opens the door, a quiver slung over his shoulder. Nico internally groans, hissing at Lou Ellen. The boy steps back, clearly uncertain about Nico.  
“Don’t mind him. He’s perfectly harmless.” Lou Ellen pats Nico’s head. “Do you know where Will is? I thought today was his day off.”

“Oh, he’s by the lake. Said something about going to see Nico.” The boy frowns at Nico. “That’s a normal cat, right? Like, not a magical one.”

“I’m about 98% sure it’s a normal cat,” Lou Ellen says. “But I wouldn’t be surprised if something weird happens.” The boy nods, scooting out of the cabin, trying to get away from the conversation.

“Well, I’m pretty sure Will’s by the lake. I’ve got to go, about to miss my class.” Then he’s dashing away. Lou Ellen just laughs. She tries to stroke Nico’s ears, but Nico scratches at her.

“Careful. Might have to declaw you,” she says. Nico hisses at her. He feels so small and so much less intimidating than his usual self. He can’t feel his powers, so he’s pretty sure that he can’t raise skeletons or zombies. He can’t ‘accidentally’ send Lou Ellen to the Underworld for the day.

As they get closer to the lake, Nico can see Will sitting with his back towards them. This is one of Nico’s favorite places to just hang out with Will. The trees provided nice shade and soft grass, and the lake provided nice scenery and entertainment. Will’s got a blanket spread underneath him, his elbows resting on his knees.

“Hey, Lou,” Will says, turning. “Is that a cat?” Nico can feel Lou Ellen smiling.

“Yeah, want to hold him?” Will looks slightly uncertain, but then Nico’s being shoved into Will’s chest. He makes a small oof sound that comes out as a mew. Will’s hands fold around him, holding him close to Will’s chest. Nico can hear Will’s heartbeat, can smell the infirmary on him. Will scratches his ears, and Nico stops himself short of purring. “I think he likes you,” Lou Ellen says. Nico hisses.

“I’ve always wanted a cat,” Will says. Nico can hear the vibration of Will’s voice. “Have you seen Nico around? He was supposed to meet me here about twenty minutes ago.”

Lou Ellen looks right at Nico before smiling. “I heard he had to go to New Rome for something,” she says. Nico tries to scratch her again. Lou Ellen seems unaffected. “Last minute. So he didn’t have time to tell you.”

Will nods, but he seems disappointed. Which Nico can understand. He hasn’t left without some notice in a long while. Whenever he does errands for his dad, he always makes sure to get some notice so he can plan and not send Will into a fit of worry.

“Hmm,” Will says. “Maybe he’ll IM me later.”  
“Well, I’ve got to go. Have fun with the kitty.” Then Lou Ellen’s gone. Nico’s glad.

Will sits down again, looking at Nico. “Do you have a name, little guy?” Nico meows. Will smiles. “You’re pretty cute. How about Merlin? You could be like a wizard cat. You seem mysterious enough.” Will’s still rubbing Nico’s ears, and Nico can hear himself purring. But the touch feels too nice for Nico to want Will to stop.

Nico wonders if this was Lou Ellen’s plan all along. Turn him into a cat. Dump him on Will. Leave. He’s not sure what’s supposed to come after that. Was Lou Ellen planning on turning him back into a person? Did this wear off? He’d thought that muffin this morning looked suspicious, but his mom had raised him to be polite. And the muffin had looked good. So he’d eaten it. And then he started turning into a cat.

“So, Merlin, where did you come from?” Will asks. Nico guesses his new name is Merlin for the time being. “I mean, you must be pretty tough for a little guy. Surviving out there. Couldn’t have been too easy.”

Instead of answering, Nico crawls into Will’s lap, settling close to Will’s body. He can feel Will laugh more than hearing it. He’s not sure how he can get Will to realize that he’s actually Nico, that Lou Ellen turned him into a cat. He’s not sure if he wants Will to figure it out. Not if he’s going to spend the afternoon curled up on Will’s lap.

“I wish Nico were here,” Will says softly. “He would have loved meeting you.” Nico hopes Will’s not too disappointed that he couldn’t show up properly. He tells himself that he’ll explain it as soon as he’s back in his own body. For now, all he can do is try to keep Will company.  
-  
Will wakes up to a weight on his chest. At first, he almost freaks out before remembering that he’s adopted a cat. He smiles when he sees Merlin curled up on his chest. It’s only been a day, but the cat’s grown on him. They’d spent most of yesterday by the lake. Merlin seemed to enjoy laying out in the sun, pressed up against Will’s body. At dinner, Will had tried to feed him some fish, but Merlin had turned up his nose at it, stealing the pasta off of Will’s plate.

Merlin is a strange cat, but Will loves him all the same. He has wanted a cat all his life, and he’s still basking in the moment of fresh parenthood. He kind of has to pee, but he doesn’t want to move and disturb Merlin. After all, he looks so peaceful and relaxed. His tail hangs off of Will’s chest, ticking Will’s chin a little. Slowly, Will moves to pet Merlin’s head. The cat shifts, stretching.

Will yelps as Merlin’s claws come out, catching in his shirt. The cat seems just as surprised, almost falling off of Will’s chest. If it’s possible for a cat to look apologetic, Merlin does. He steps off of Will’s chest to resume his stretching before falling back into his curled up position. Will laughs. This cat reminds him so much of Nico. Especially since the cat was black, big brown eyes. (Though Will wasn’t sure cats could even have brown eyes.)

“Breakfast time, little guy. Come on.” Will pokes Merlin’s side gently. When Merlin doesn’t make any move to get up, Will shakes his head, moving to get dressed. By the time he’s gotten dressed and brushed his teeth, Merlin’s still sleeping. “Well, thank me later,” Will mumbles. He scoops Merlin up, heading out the door.

Merlin mews, looking kind of droopy. “Don’t give me that look. I know you’re a cat, but you really shouldn’t sleep the whole day away.” Will’s pretty sure the cat’s pouting now. Will boops his nose, smiling. Merlin swats at him, but since there are no claws involved Will takes it to be all teasing.

Again, Merlin won’t eat anything resembling cat food. He steals some of the cereal from Will’s bowl, curling protectively around it. Will doesn’t even want to try and take it back. “You know that stuff isn’t good for you, right?” Will asks. He doesn’t want to be responsible for Merlin’s demise, but he’s also finding it really hard to say no.

“Dude, you got a cat! Sweet,” Percy calls. He’s standing behind Will with Grover. “How’d you get that past Chiron?”

Will had completely forgotten about the no pets rule. Since none of his siblings were deathly allergic to cats, he didn’t really think past that. “I, um, just haven’t mentioned it to him, yet,” Will says. Percy nods, moving his fingers across his mouth to indicate a secret.

“Well, if you ever need anyone to cat-sit the little guy, sign me up.” He smiles at Merlin, reaching out. Merlin sniffs at Percy’s hand before swatting at it. “Hey!” Percy calls. “Well, then. Just see if I bring you treats later or not!”

“It’s okay, buddy,” Grover says, patting Percy’s back. “Some animals just take time.” He smiles at Merlin before heading to get food. Percy follows him.

“That wasn’t cool, Merlin. You can’t just go around scratching people. That’s not polite.” Merlin just meows at him, pacing on the table. Some of Will’s siblings look at him weirdly.

“Will, is that really sanitary?” Kayla asks. Will just shrugs.

“You tell him to get down. Cats kind of just do what they want.” Will watches as Kayla moves to try and shoo Merlin off of the table. Merlin just sits down, nibbling at his pieces of stolen cereal, completely ignoring Kayla. Will tries to stifle his laughter. Eventually, Kayla just gives up.

“Where’s Nico anyway? Isn’t that his usual spot?” She points to where Merlin’s sitting. Will shrugs.

“Heard he had to visit New Rome for something or other. I don’t know.” Will shrugs again, his shoulders flopping a bit. He’s trying his best to not show how disappointed he is that Nico just up and left. He knows it’s not personal, but he can’t help feeling a bit like it is. Why wouldn’t Nico tell him? Was it an emergency? Was Nico okay? Was someone at New Rome not okay?

He’s broken from his thoughts by something soft touching his arm. He looks down to see Merlin looking up at him. Merlin meows, bumping Will’s arm with his head. Will smiles, bringing his hand to pet Merlin’s head, scratching lightly down his back.

“Well, at least I’ve got you to keep me company.” Merlin meows again. “And an infirmary to keep me busy. Come on, Merlin.”  
-  
Nico’s kind of liking being a cat. Like this, he can see the camp in a completely different way. He can eavesdrop on the conversations in the infirmary, at meals, in the cabin. He’s heard so much gossip that he doesn’t care about. But he’s also heard some things that are interesting. Like how there’s an Athena kid who plays Mythomagic and a kid from the Demeter cabin who can grow flowers in any color and how Will’s got a huge crush on him.

He is sitting on Will’s desk (really just a folding table in a corner) in the infirmary, trying to look bored and neglected while Will runs around tending to patients. The flurry of the infirmary looks different from this angle. From here he can see how some kids try to get themselves released sooner, some try to hang around for a few more days, some aren’t even all that injured.

The younger Apollo campers run around making beds and folding sheets. They bring around little cups of water or bags of Goldfish for the patients. Sometimes they retrieve clipboards or gloves or blankets or pillows.

Nico was told to stay on the counter and not cause trouble, so he is doing just is. He feels an overwhelming urge to clean his paws, so he does. He thinks it will be gross to lick his paws, or at the very least off-putting, but he finds the activity somewhat enjoyable. His tongue feels kind of nice on his fur, and he really does feel cleaner. He starts cleaning the rest of him, only feeling mildly embarrassed when he catches a little girl staring at him.

While he’s cleaning his back, a teenage boy tries to pet him. Nico hisses at him, swatting his paws. The boy huffs before heading back to his bed. Nico isn’t sure why he keeps swatting at people. He’s never been a touchy kind of person, and maybe just because he’s a cat doesn’t mean that everyone now has permission to put their hands all over him. Except, they don’t really know that, he supposes. Still, he likes his personal space.

“I think your cat over there doesn’t like being petted,” he hears the boy say. He hears Will laugh.

“He’s particular,” Will says. “Here, just have a gentle touch.” Will comes into sight, petting Nico’s head. Will smiles at him, rubbing Nico’s ears. Nico purrs. The boy looks from Will to Nico and back to Will. “Try it.”

The boy starts to reach out, but Nico swats him away. “See?” the boy whines. “He only likes you, I think.” The boy sighs, leaving.

“Sounds like someone else we know,” Kayla sings as she passes. She winks at Will. Nico thinks it’s very interesting how Will’s face suddenly colors, his cheeks turning pink.

“He likes his friends, Kayla. That’s hardly unusual.”

Kayla shrugs. “But he doesn’t sit with them at meals or watch the sunset with them.” Now Will’s ears are also red. Nico wonders who they’re talking about.

“Nico can sit with whoever he wants. Most of the time Percy’s not even at camp anymore. And Jason’s always at New Rome. So that’s why he sits with me.” Kayla just hums. “Besides, I doubt he thinks of me as more than a friend.”

Will shrugs. He’s looking at Merlin now, a small frown on his face.

“That’s because you’re oblivious,” Kayla says. “The whole camp can see you like him, and we’re all pretty sure that he likes you back.”

Nico’s never been more thankful that he’s a cat. “Whatever, Kayla,” Will says. “If he liked me, he’d probably have told me why he’s gone. Or at least that he was leaving. Why would Lou Ellen know and not me?” Will sighs, and Nico feels guilty.

It’s Lou Ellen’s fault that he can’t comfort Will right now, why Will’s so upset. Of course, without Lou Ellen, he also probably wouldn’t have figured out what Will liked him. Was that even true? Did Will really like him? Like, want to hold his hand and go on dates with him? He supposes it’s possible, but he needs some time to process it.

“Come on, Merlin,” Will says. He scoops Nico up, walking out of the infirmary. Nico knows where they’re going. They’re in that patch of woods where there’s a clearing so that one can view the lake. Will sits down, setting Nico on the ground.

“Sorry about that,” he says. “I don’t mind that she teases me. I just don’t like getting my hopes up when I’m sure Nico doesn’t think of me like that.”

Nico crawls into Will’s lap, hoping he can try and comfort Will. He’s had a small-ish crush on Will for a while now, but he’s only started noticing it these last few weeks. Will has been one constant in his really hectic life, and he’s grateful for that. Will is always there to make sure he eats and gets out in the sun and talks to people. Who wouldn’t like Will?

“You like me, right, Merlin?” Will asks. Nico purrs, hoping the Will can understand. Will smiles, holding Nico close. He presses a soft kiss to Nico’s head. “I like you, too.”

Nico needs to find a way to get out of this cat body.  
-  
Will’s not sure what to think when he wakes up next to Nico. It’s about the last scenario he can imagine, right after being swallowed by a purple talking whale. But he’s pretty sure he isn’t hallucinating. He wonders if Nico tried shadow-traveling and accidentally ended up in the wrong bed. That seems plausible.

Kayla’s almost no help, just smirking at Will on the way out of the cabin. At least she got the rest of their siblings to breakfast so Will only had to deal with one thing at a time. Will’s afraid to move, not sure if it’ll disturb Nico or not. Usually, Nico was a pretty heavy sleeper, but Will wasn’t sure if he should depend on such guarantees.

Nico shifts, his arms stretching out first before his legs. He wiggles his butt a little, and Will tries not to laugh. Nico was just so cute when he was sleeping. Nico rolls over, opening his eyes. He smiles at Will, not even seeming to notice anything wrong with the situation.

“Um, good morning, Nico?” Will asks. At this, Will can see panic flash across Nico’s face.

“Oh, gods,” Nico mutters. He sits up, looking at his hands, feeling his face. He looks at himself before looking at Will. “Oh, gods,” he repeats. “I can explain. Sort of.”

Will nods. He was pretty sure it was too early for this.

“Lou Ellen turned me into, um, a cat. And I’m really sorry, but I wasn’t sure how to explain all of this before.” Nico’s blushing like crazy now, rambling and waving his arms about. He almost tumbles out of the bed.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay,” Will says. He reaches out, catching one of Nico’s arms before Nico knocks over a lamp. “I mean, it’s kind of weird, but it’s okay.” He pauses, rubbing his eyes. “So, you were my cat?” Nico nods.

Now it’s Will’s turn to be heavily embarrassed. “I wasn’t in New Rome. Lou Ellen just said that so you wouldn’t look for me, I guess.” Will nods.

“So you heard everything, I guess, yesterday. About you and whatnot.” Nico nods. Will groans, flopping back onto his bed.

“It’s okay,” Nico says. “If it helps, I like you, too.”

Will stares at him for a minute or so. This morning kept getting weirder. “You do? Like, as in more than a friend?” Nico nods.

“Yeah, but I’m not sure all what that means, exactly. Other than maybe I want to hold your hand and go on dates?” Nico bites his lip.

“We can do that. Hold hands, I mean. And go on dates, too,” Will says. Nico laughs, smiling. He reaches out, taking Will’s hand.

“And, just so you know, I am so getting revenge on Lou Ellen.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments are appreciated :)
> 
> i'm not all that great at puns, but I do try
> 
> I have recently added table of contents-like things. Does this help in any way?


	8. will's boyfriend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will's school friends don't believe he's got a boyfriend. Nico proves them all wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I went to update the tags for this story, and I had no idea what to tag haha

Nico misses Will.

At the turn of summer into autumn, at least half of the campers head back to their own homes to be with their mortal families, attending schools and hanging out with normal people, their lips sealed tight about fighting monsters and climbing lava walls for recreation.

Will is one of those campers. He goes home to Texas to spend time with his mom and all of his cousins and grandparents and mortal friends. Will assures Nico that none of his mortal friends can even compare to Jason or Cecil or Nico, but Nico doesn’t blame Will for making friends. After all, life would be pretty boring without people to talk to. Still, it’s kind of lonely to be stuck at camp.

Jason makes his annual trip back to New Rome to help out there. Piper goes with him. Percy and Annabeth go to visit Sally Jackson and New Rome, only visiting camp occasionally. Only those who have a strong scent or don’t have families to go back to stay. Which can get really lonely and depressing really quickly. The dining hall is no longer full of bustling demigods on their way to training or arts and crafts or lessons. Instead, there are the few sleepy souls who are dedicated enough to train by themselves.

Nico hangs around with Cecil and Kayla who don’t go home. They both attend morning classes for basic education. Nico joined the classes last year, deciding that if he was ever going to get out of here, he’d have to have some decent education.

“So, like all of this math and science and stuff,” Nico says. He gestures to his books. “Like, why do I need to know all of it?” They’re waiting for their teacher to show it. For some reason, it varies day to day. The teachers range from campers who have gone to school to Athena’s children to Chiron. Nico likes it when Chiron teaches. He doesn’t get impatient or rush through the material. He understands that the campers don’t always have a steady education, so he makes sure to review and goes over the material a few times before holding the students accountable for knowing it.

Kayla laughs. “I find it interesting. The math stuff especially.” Nico groans. Kayla was some sort of math whiz, even before she’d come to camp. She is tutoring him, though he’s still way behind her. (He’s slightly embarrassed by this, but he supposes that memory loss isn’t always selective. So a dip in the River Lethe kind of destroyed his education foundation to a great extent.)

“And I like the science,” Leo says, sliding into the seat next to Nico. He didn’t go home either, though he chose to spend his time between camps. “Makes it easier to not catch things on fire.” He laughs.

“I’m glad you’re doing school, though,” Cecil says. “It makes class more interesting.” Nico isn’t sure why that’s true. “I mean, you ask more questions so it’s easier for all of us to understand,” Cecil clarifies.

“You could ask your own questions,” Nico points out. He’s not new to the idea of school. He knows how it works and what it does. He’s here to learn, so he’s going to make sure he understands the material. He doesn’t want to just be fighting monsters and summoning skeletons until he dies. He wants a high school diploma.

Cecil just shrugs. “He’s lazy,” Kayla says. “He likes the sponge approach to learning. Just soaking it all up and not having to study or anything.” She punches Cecil’s shoulder.

They quiet down as a son of Athena walks into the room. He starts writing on the chalkboard, not talking until he’s finished. Nico groans when he sees the math equations now displayed proudly. The son of Athena shoots him a look, dusting off his hands.

“Can I get anyone to come up here and solve these?” Kayla shoots out of her seat, followed by a daughter of Demeter. There were about ten kids here, and Nico hopes that two more of them will stand up and take the last two problems.

“How about Nico?” the son of Athena asks. “I find math is easier to understand if you try to work out the problems instead of just watching others do them.”

Nico slumps up to the board, picking up the chalk. The classes were sort of divided by education level, but it wasn’t enforced. Because of this, Nico often snuck into classes that held more of his peers rather than his knowledge level. He just felt awkward learning with a bunch of ten- and eleven-year-olds. He is learning quickly, though, studying in his free time and asking a lot of questions. At this rate, he will probably graduate only a year after Will does.

“So, if you want to solve for b, you have to get it by itself,” Nico says. The son of Athena nods. Nico moves everything over before looking at what he’s doing. “And then just get rid of all of this stuff,” he says, pointing to the equation.

“Through math,” the son of Athena says. “You can’t just erase the stuff you don’t like.”

Nico grumbles, but he works his way through the problem. As he finishes, he gets a gold star. He feels proud of himself as he moves back to his seat. If he got three more gold stars, he could get an extra dessert at dinner. Kayla pats his back, smiling.

“See, it’s not too bad.” Nico rolls his eyes. Okay, so he could do math, but that didn’t mean he liked it.

The lesson continues. Nico does his best to jot down notes, but after a while, his dyslexia starts acting up. It’s part of why he hates algebra. It’s sometimes hard for him to tell if that letter is supposed to be there or not. And then he solves the equation all wrong. Well, at least, he’s doing all of the steps right.

“Hey, want to hang out at the lake this afternoon?” Kayla asks. “The water’s still warm.” Nico nods. They make plans to meet up after lunch. For now, Nico’s going to try and finish some of his homework. He likes homework. It gives him a chance to work through his studies at his own pace without people watching him or pointing out what he’s done wrong. If he needs help, he can ask for it.

He finishes his math pretty quickly today, pleased with himself. He wishes he could IM Will right now or send him a message, but Will was probably in class. Nico has a copy of Will’s schedule in his nightstand, and he’s already got it memorized. Will had English first before he went to biology. Then he had math before lunch. After lunch, he went to history and then finished with music. His day started at 7:30 and finished around 2.

It’s only 12:42. Nico groans. Camp classes were shorter because they were more spread out and subject to the teacher’s whims. Still, the structure helps Nico not get too bored and restless. Before he started going to classes, he’d just shadow-travel places and walk around. (Will wasn’t very happy with this set-up, of course.) Sometimes, Nico would go to museums or parks or just walk through the downtown areas. In a way, it was like education, but it still left Nico bored and lonely.

He goes to lunch, eating at the Apollo table with Kayla and a few of her siblings. A lot of the Apollo campers went home, so it was one of the emptier tables.

“Have you heard from Will?” Kayla asks. “I got a letter from him the other day.”

Will had been gone about two weeks. His school starts earlier than most, something Nico wants to protest. Nico has also gotten a letter from Will. He keeps it tucked into his nightstand, taking it out to read whenever he misses Will (almost every day).

“What’d it say?” Nico asks.

“Just the usual. He’s swamped with homework and studying because he takes so many classes, but he’s loving it. In fact, the letter was written on the back of his biology notes. I hope he doesn’t need those.”

Nico rolls his eyes. That is just like Will. “He sent me one last week.” Nico doesn’t go into too much detail. Will’s letters are sappy, and Nico’s pretty sure if someone else found them, they’d think that they were soldiers separated by war instead of school. He’s not going to admit how much he loves them to anyone but Will. “He sent a lot of health reminds and notes for the infirmary.”

Kayla laughs. “Yeah. I got some of those, too. Things like don’t forget to clean out the medicine cabinet every month and do the laundry. Like I don’t know.” She smiles.

“I can’t believe he’s only been gone two weeks. It kind of feels like forever.” Nico and Will have been dating for two years now, and Nico kind of thought it’d get easier each year to see Will go. He was very wrong. Still, they managed the long distance with frequent visits and lots of letters and IM messages.

“Well, his fall break is in four or so weeks,” Kayla says, winking. Nico groans. Three weeks were going to pass so slowly.  
-  
Nico is getting restless. He and Will have IMed, but it’s not the same. It’s also not the same when Will can only talk for an hour or so before running off to do more homework or eat or sleep. Will tells Nico about his friends and his classes. He usually spends a good portion of the hour talking about some new scientific theory he’s just learned about before asking how Nico’s doing again - just to make sure he didn’t miss anything.

Nico’s doing the same as always. He goes to classes in the mornings, hangs out in the afternoons. His bed is always cold, and they can no longer go swimming in the lake unless they feel like freezing. Will’s fall break is in a week, and Nico’s excited for that. He hasn’t asked yet, but he’s sure Will will let him shadow-travel down to Texas for the weekend.

Nico’s cleaning his sword when Will’s face appears in front of him. He smiles, moving to hug Will before he remembers it’s just an IM.

“Hey, did you train today?” Will asks.

“Yeah, helped some daughters of Aphrodite this afternoon.” He rolls his eyes. They were really sweet girls, but he wasn’t sure if they were really there to learn sword fighting. “What about you?”

Will laughs, and Nico thinks that’s one of the top things he misses most. “I’m going to need to start training what with all this food Mama keeps making.” He pats his stomach, smiling. “She’s the best cook ever, though, and I can’t say no to her cooking.”

Nico nods. He’s had some of Naomi Solace’s cooking, and he has to agree. She’s amazing. He also notices that Will’s Southern accent is stronger now, something he always looks forward to at the beginning of the summer. He secretly loves Will’s Southern accent, though he always teases him about it. It makes Will’s voice somehow sweeter, like honey, and Nico always thinks he’s melting.

“You should send me cookies,” Nico says. Naomi’s cookies are his favorite. She always makes them whenever he comes to visit, and she always makes a batch for him to bring back to camp.

Will smiles. “Or you could come and get them yourself.” He winks, and Nico’s about to shadow-travel right then and there. “I have a break next weekend. A long weekend. Maybe you could come and visit?” Will asks.

“Of course,” Nico says. Like he’d ever not want to visit Will. “I think I can make time. You know, I’m pretty busy here.” Will sticks his tongue out.

“I’ve missed you, Nico. School is fun and all, but it’d be better if you were here.”

Nico laughs. “Probably not with all of the monsters.”

“I’d patch you up.” Nico blushes. (How can Will say that so easily?) “Besides, no one really thinks you exist.”

Nico frowns. Will hasn’t said anything about this before. Nico wasn’t even sure if Will had told his friends about Nico. He guesses this is his answer. “Why not? Am I too handsome for them?” It’s probably because he’s so dark and brooding, and Will’s the son of a sunshine god.

Will shrugs, his smile fading just a bit. “They just think you’re imaginary or something. I don’t know why. Maybe they’re just jealous.” Though Will’s still smiling, Nico can tell that it’s bothering him.

“What do they say?”

Will shrugs again. “Just stuff about how I’m kidding myself, bless my heart, whatever helps me sleep at night. I mean, maybe they don’t think I’m good enough to have a boyfriend like you. I don’t know. I don’t talk about you too much because I don’t want to answer too many questions.” Will huffs, frowning.

Nico nods. “Well, I think you’re more than good enough for me,” Nico says. Will blushes. “What kinds of things are you even saying about me?”

Will blushes further. “All good things. Just like how you’re Italian and kind of short and funny. And you’ve traveled all over the world and know how to fence. Because I can’t tell them you fight monsters, you know. And I might have told them about some of our dates. Just big details. Like we go to coffee shops or sit out by the lake.” He shrugs.

Nico smiles. He can sort of see why no one would believe Will. Who their age traveled the world and knew how to fence just for the heck of it? But he’s also a little more than annoyed that no one believes Will. Will didn’t tell lies, and he wouldn’t do anything just to call attention to himself for fun.

“Well, you can tell all of your friends that your amazing boyfriend will be visiting next weekend.” Will perks up at this, his big smile sliding back over his face. Nico wants to kiss him. “I’ll even pick you up from school and allow PDA.”

Will’s eyes are wide. “Really? For me?” He’s got his hand on his heart, a big, goofy grin on his face. “Nico, you’re the best.”

Nico laughs. “I know, sunshine.” Will melts a little more at the nickname. “After next weekend, no one will doubt you.”

Will nods, glancing at something off screen. “I have to go now. Mama’s calling me to dinner.” He waves at Nico. “Bye, I love you! I can’t wait to see you next weekend!” He blows Nico a kiss just as the IM disconnects.

Nico smiles. He needs to start planning.  
-  
Nico’s been IMing a lot with Piper lately. He wants to make sure he makes the best impression possible, so he’s going all out. Piper visited Camp Half-Blood to help Nico shop for clothes, making sure that he looked jaw-dropping. He shadow-travels them around to get a tailored Italian suit, sunglasses, shoes. He makes sure Jules-Albert looks his best, too. He can’t show up with a driver that looks half-dead.

“Will’s going to speechless,” Piper says, grinning. She adjusts Nico’s tie. “Perfect. Who knew you’d mature so nicely?” she teases.

Nico just raises his eyebrows. He’s set Jules-Albert on a mission to get the best car, and he’s brought back a Bentley Flying Spur, bright red. Nico inspects the car, happy that he’d acquired a driver’s license just that summer. Piper whistles when she sees the car.

“Can I have a ride, please?” she asks. “Just as a thank you.”

Nico laughs, nodding. He didn’t peg Piper as one for being impressed by shiny things, but maybe she liked cars. He doesn’t pry, just zooming down a random empty road outside of the city. Piper whoops out the window, hair flying. Nico smiles. He hopes Will doesn’t faint when he sees Nico. If this is going to be believable, he’s going to need to react with more than just staring. (Even though Nico wouldn’t mind that too much.)

It’s a Friday when he leaves for Texas. He manages to shadow-travel the car and Jules-Albert. Then he gives Jules-Albert directions and sits back in the passenger seat. He hasn’t talked to Will since last week, but he knows Will’s schedule by heart. He knows Will walks home from school every day, so he knows that he’ll pick up Will at the front of the school.

Jules-Albert pulls up to the front of the school, engine revving. Nico slides his sunglasses up his nose as students start leaving the school. It’s clear that they’re curious about the car. They’re pointing and whispering. Nico just slowly rolls down the window, just a tad. He’s got reflective sunglasses, so no one can see where he’s looking. He scans the crowd for Will, trying to spot that bright head of hair and blue eyes.

Nico steps out of the car just as Will notices it. His eyes go wide, that tiny wrinkle between his eyebrows forming. Then his jaw drops a little, and Will stumbles down the steps. Will almost runs into a few girls who are blocking his path. They’re fawning over Nico, pointing and whispering, fluffing their hair and jutting out their hips. It’s too bad Nico’s gay.

He doesn’t pay them any attention, moving through the crowd until he’s standing right in front of Will. He can see Will trying to process all of this. His cheeks are a light pink. He tries to speak, a small squeak leaving his mouth. Nico slips on a seductive smile.

“Hello, sunshine,” Nico says. “Care for a ride home?”

Nico’s pretty sure some of the girls actually faint as Will leans down and kisses Nico on the lips. It’s a searing kiss, meant for the public eye. Will’s hands slide into Nico’s hair, his lips curving into a smile. When he pulls back, they’re both breathless and blushing. Nico composes himself, straightening his tie, sliding his sunglasses down just a bit.

“Yes on the ride?” Will beams, laughter in his eyes. To answer, Will just takes Nico’s hand as they walk to the car. Nico holds the door open like a gentleman before sliding in behind Will. He closes the door, signaling for Jules-Albert to pull out of the parking lot.

They both watch all of Will’s peers stare at them, mouths hanging open. Nico’s pretty sure that this will be the top gossip for a bit. He feels a little bad for causing such a scene, but it’s nothing compared to how happy Will looks right now. Nico pokes Will, just to make sure he’s still breathing.

“You’re the best boyfriend ever,” Will breathes. He leans over, placing a more modest kiss on Nico’s cheek. “The best ever. I love you so much.” Nico laces their fingers together.

“And that’s not even the best part yet.”

Will quirks up his eyebrows, smiling. “Oh, yeah?”

“I’m thinking that we’re going to go to your house and get some cookies. And then we’re going to Disney for a day. Because I really want to meet the characters, and they say it's the happiest place on earth. So why not?” (He’d thought this out. He knew Will took school seriously, so he wanted to make sure he gave Will enough time to do his homework. And he also really, really loves Naomi’s cookies and wanted to make sure that he’d have enough time to eat a reasonable amount before he had to leave.)

“You’re absolutely amazing, Nico,” Will whispers. He kisses Nico again. “Though I feel like half the reason you came down was to eat Mama’s cookies. I’m feeling a little jealous of them.”

Nico laughs. “Cookies will never compare to you, Will Solace, though there better be some waiting for me. You’d better not have eaten all of them!”

Will beams, a dorky smile on his face. “I love you, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know very little about cars, but the Bentley Flying Spur was in the prompt request, so I took it. :)
> 
> updates might come a bit slower - I'm getting a bit busy with the final weeks of school. but I am working on your prompts, I promise :)
> 
> (also, is the table of contents helpful?)
> 
> Comments are appreciated :)


	9. home is where the heart is

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time to meet the parents, and Will's nervous. Featuring: what if Maria and Bianca didn't die and a cabin renovation.
> 
> (also, like, pretend that Nico was born in the same year or so as Will)

Will’s cheeks are slightly flushed as he stares at Nico. “Wait a minute,” he says. “Like, this weekend?” Nico nods slowly, fidgeting with the ring on his finger. He didn’t really mean to spring it on Will, but he’d gotten his weekends mixed up. This morning, he had plans of telling Will it was for next weekend, but that had been ruined when Will had pointed out that it was this weekend. So, cue Will freaking out a bit.

“If it makes you feel any better, Hazel will be there, too,” Nico says. Will’s freaking out is making him freak out a little. He understands why it’s a big deal, but he was hoping that it wouldn’t have to be. At least not from Will’s perspective. He knows his mom and sister are already planning.

“Maybe a little,” Will says, taking a deep breath. “I still feel like I should have had some proper notice.”

“Like I said, I thought it was next weekend.” Will huffs, sighing.

“Well, I can’t exactly say no,” he says. Nico shrugs. Technically, Will can back out of this, but that would leave a very bad impression. “I just feel unprepared. Like, what am I supposed to say? Or do? Is there like a procedure I need to know?”

Nico shakes his head, smiling. “You just have to be yourself, Will. Trust me. They’ll love you.”

Will nods. “If we were just friends, this wouldn’t be as big a deal,” he says. Nico nods. His mom and Bianca had yet to meet Hazel or Will at all. Nico wanted them to meet sooner, but then things had happened (like wars and monsters and almost dying) and plans had been postponed. “But it’s a little different since we’re dating.”

Nico knows. He’s thought about it for a while now. He and Will have been dating for five months now, and it still seems so new. They’ve been friends for at least two years. Ideally, he would have introduced Will as a friend before he introduced him as a boyfriend. Still, his mom insisted on meeting Will, whatever their status of relationship. And Nico can’t say no.

“So, we’ll leave on Friday,” Nico says. “Jules-Albert can take us. We’ll pick up Hazel, and then we’ll be on our way.” Will nods slowly. “It’s just a weekend, really. Only four days max.”

“Should I have flowers or something? Should I dress up? I feel like I have an unfair disadvantage,” Will says. Nico finds it a little funny how Will can be completely calm and composed when he’s sewing someone’s arm back on, but he’s freaking out at the prospect of meeting Nico’s mom and older sister.

“It’s okay, Will. They’re all very familiar with the demigod world, so you don’t have to worry about slipping up. I’ve only told them good things about you. Hazel already loves you, so that helps. Besides, Mama loves anyone I love.” He pauses, thinking about Bianca. She was more protective of him, simply because she understood the risks a bit more than their mom did. “And Bianca will like you once she gets over the fact that you’re a guy.”

“Right,” Will says. “Hunters of Artemis and all.” Nico nods. He hasn’t seen his mom or Bianca in a while. This was one of the few weekends that they all didn’t have anything already set. Now, he just hopes that the gods decide to behave themselves, if only for four days max.

“And I’m going to be there the whole time,” Nico adds. “It’s going to be fine. More than fine. It’s going to be perfect.” He’s been dreaming about this for a while. Having all of the pieces of his family be together in one place. He knows it doesn’t make it any less to have family scattered around, but he’s always wanted to have a big family. And now he has one.

“I still feel like I should get something. Or make something. Showing up empty-handed can be considered rude in many cultures.”

Nico rolls his eyes. “Fine. We’ll pick up some flowers or chocolates on the way.” Will nods, smiling.  
-  
Will’s alternating between trying to fall asleep and staring out the window. He’s gripping Nico’s hand, legs crossing and uncrossing every few minutes. Nico’s never seen Will this nervous before, and they haven’t even picked up Hazel yet.

“Will, it’s going to be okay.” Will nods, taking a deep breath.

“I just feel like it’s a big deal. I’ve heard so much about your mom. How amazing and wonderful she is. How much you love her and she loves you. And Hades. Gods, he loves her enough to have two kids with her. Like, that hardly ever happens, Nico.” Nico nods. That was true.

“I think you’re overthinking this, Will. It’s nothing more than you’re going to meet my mom and sister. And they’re going to love you. And I hope you’ll learn to love them.”

Will nods, leaning over to rest his head against Nico’s shoulder. “I just really want them to like me,” he says. “I’ve never done this before. Met the parents. I’d always imagined it going a bit different.”

“Yeah?” Nico asks. Will nods. “How so?”

“Well, I never imagined the whole demigod aspect. And I never imagined meeting someone so important. And I never imagined having so little preparation time.”

Nico laughs. “You’re not going to meet the president, Will. Mama’s like most mothers, really. She has a job and loves to cook. She likes to read and go swimming in the summers. The only difference is that she has two demigod children, a god as a husband, and she curses in Italian when she gets angry. Which she won’t do when you’re there because she won’t get angry.” He pats Will’s hand.

Will nods, falling silent. He ends up falling asleep before they get to New Rome to pick up Hazel. Nico smiles, watching Will sleep. He was definitely calmer asleep. Nico hopes that Will won’t freak out when they get there.

Nico must fall asleep because when he wakes up, it’s to Hazel tapping on the window. She throws her arms around Nico when he gets out. Will reorganizes their luggage in the trunk to accommodate Hazel’s bags. Hazel hugs Will, smiling.

“I’m so excited!” she says. Nico almost laughs when Will just shoots her a thumbs up. Hazel looks confused, turning to Nico.

“He’s nervous,” Nico says. Hazel nods. She slides into the car, next to Nico. Jules-Albert waits until their ready before starting the car again. Hazel leans over Nico, patting Will’s knee.

“It’s going to be fine, Will,” she says. “Meeting the parents seems terrifying, but they’re really just as nervous as you.” She smiles. “I remember when I went to meet Frank’s grandmother. I thought I was going to faint or something, but she kept offering us food or trying to make sure we were comfortable. It turns out she was just as nervous as I was, and then things were so much easier.”

Will nods. “I guess that makes sense. Thanks, Hazel.” Hazel smiles, looking at Nico. Nico sighs. He hopes that Hazel’s speech works. He didn’t need Will accidentally breaking out into song or randomly glowing. He did that sometimes when he got too nervous.

The three of them fall in and out of conversation, sometimes sleeping or humming along to the radio. The journey wasn’t too long since Jules-Albert didn’t follow the normal rules of driving. He was able to phase them through dead ends and take short-cuts and skip through traffic. Nico, honestly, was very thankful.

Then they’re standing on the front porch of the Maria di Angelo’s house. Will’s gripping a bouquet of flowers. Hazel’s got her suitcase. Nico straightens his jacket. He rings the doorbell. Will’s free hand grips Nico’s, and Nico has to remind Will not to cut off the circulation.

Nico rushes forward, hugging his mom as she appears. She wraps her arms around him, kissing his head. She pulls back slightly to beckon Will and Hazel into the house. Nico steps back, smiling.

“Mama, this is Hazel and Will. Hazel and Will, this is Mama.” Nico rolls his eyes as Will thrusts the flowers forward, almost bowing.

“Pleased to meet you, Mrs. di Angelo. I brought flowers.” Maria smiles, taking the flowers.

“Call me Maria. These are very beautiful.” She steps forward to hug Will. He looks surprised, but Nico can tell that Will relaxes some. Then Maria hugs Hazel. Hazel just beams, pecking Maria’s cheek.

“Another daughter,” Maria says. “Welcome to the family, child.” She turns back to Will. “And welcome to the family, Will. Nico’s told me so much about you.” She beams, beckoning them further into the house.

Nico moves to find a vase while Maria gets everyone to sit around the kitchen table. He’s happy to see that there are cookies on the table. Will’s already got one in his mouth.

“I’m afraid Bianca is arriving later. She told me that the Hunters had to extend some mission of theirs.” Maria smiles. “Until then, I was thinking we could tour the house, maybe get to know each other. You’re welcome to rest, if you’d like. I hope your travels were well.”

Hazel jumps in, telling Maria about the trip here and how Will was asleep for most of it. She smiles at him to show she’s teasing. Then she launches into a mini introduction of herself. Nico learns a few things as he joins them at the table. He hasn’t been able to talk to her as regularly as he would like.

“Come, let me show you to your rooms,” Maria says. “That way you can feel more at home.” She squeezes Hazel’s hand as she says this. She leads them upstairs to their rooms. Hazel’s got a large bedroom with a view of the gardens in the backyard.

“And this is your room, Will.” She smiles. “Although, if you’d like to share a room with Nico, I’d be happy to move a mattress and blankets in there.”

“It’s fine, Mama,” Nico says. “We usually, uh, share a bed.” Maria beams at this. Nico’s blushing. He knows courting was much more drawn out and formal in his mom’s day, but he and Will and really just sleeping. They haven’t done anything more than kissing and cuddling.

“Well, if you need any extra blankets or towels, just let me know. Bianca’s room is across the way, and I’m at the end of the hall.” She smiles. “You’re welcome to explore the rest of the house, though there isn’t too much else besides the backyard.”

“Thank you, Mama. Will you need any help with dinner?” Maria shakes her head.

“It’s a surprise tonight. No peeking!” She winks. Hazel comes out of her room.

“I’m going to go look around outside,” she says. “Care to join me?”

Will shrugs. He looks exhausted, Nico thinks. All of that worrying. “We’ll catch up with you. We’re just going to get situated first,” Nico says. Hazel grins at them before following Maria down the stairs. Nico can hear them starting another conversation as they make it downstairs.

“I think that went well, yeah?” Will nods, wrapping his arms around Nico.

“I still haven’t met Bianca,” Will says. “Isn’t she the tough one?” Nico shrugs. While Maria was very open and accepting of things, Bianca was a bit more slow to accept things. She wasn’t cynical, but she has standards. Nico wasn’t too worried about Will meeting those standards, but he hopes that Will won’t be thrown off by Bianca.

“She won’t be judging you, per se. Just sizing you up, I guess. Kind of like what Jason and Percy did when we started dating.” Will nods. Jason and Percy had taken it upon themselves to give Will the shovel talk within the first week of their dating. Will had come to dinner that night, his face just a little paler than normal.

Will starts poking around Nico’s room. There isn’t too much here since Nico spends most of his time at camp. It’s just a standard bedroom. There is a small collection of weapons hanging on one wall. His bookcase has Mythomagic figurines lining the shelves, the cards all stashed away in their protective cases. There’s a guitar leaning against his desk, though he doesn’t know how to play it. (It’d been a gift from Hades.)

“How do three children of Hades stay here anyway?” Will asks.

“Hades did some special charm protecting thing,” Nico says. He shrugs. He doesn’t know the details. All he knows is that this house has never been attacked, even though places in the area have been. “Hades can be a nice guy. He’s just not really allowed to show favor and all.”

Will nods. “Your bed is comfy. Comfier than the one in your cabin. Actually, this whole room is way nicer. Less like I’m going to wake up as a vampire and more like I’m an actual person.”

Nico laughs. “Yeah, I need to redecorate the Hades cabin. It’s a little too dark even for me.” Will pulls Nico down next to him, kissing his cheek.

“I think your mom likes me, Nico,” he says. “I really do.” Nico laughs.

“Of course she does. I knew she would.” He kisses Will’s cheek, leaning into Will’s arms. “And since she likes you, that’ll help convince Bianca, I think. You’re a great boyfriend, Will. And an amazing friend. She’d be crazy not to like you.” Nico wasn’t honestly sure who it would take more convincing: Will or Bianca. He’s leaning towards Will right now.

He gives Will another kiss. “Come on. Let’s go sit outside.”  
-  
Nico can smell the food cooking, and it makes him more excited by the minute. He and Will had spent the afternoon just sitting outside and drinking lemonade. Will is definitely more relaxed now, and Nico thinks he’s even starting to enjoy himself.

Nico knows his mom is watching him from the kitchen, watching how he interacts with Will, how Will treats him. But he’s not worried. From the moment they became friends, Will was always a perfect gentleman. So they sip lemonade and hold hands.

Hazel comes outside closer to dinner time, a smile on her face.

“Your mom is amazing,” she says. Maria has recruited Hazel to help make dinner, and Hazel can barely contain her excitement. “It was so much fun. I hardly ever cook, and I’m so glad I didn’t burn anything.” She laughs, taking a seat.

“I think she already considers you a daughter,” Nico says. Ever since Nico had told his mom that he had a half-sister, she insisted on welcoming her into the family.

“She already kind of feels like a mother,” Hazel says. “She pinched my cheeks once.” Nico laughs.

“So, what’s for dinner?”

Hazel shakes her head. “I’m not supposed to tell you. She said it’s a surprise. I think it’s one of your favorites, though.” Nico’s mouth is watering now. He can smell the marinara sauce, some kind of pasta. But there are so many pasta dishes, he isn’t sure which one his mom chose.

“You can’t even give me a hint?” Hazel shakes her head.  
“Nope. But dinner’s almost ready. I’m actually supposed to be telling you to come inside and set the table.” Nico grabs Will’s hand, racing inside. He loves his mom’s cooking.

The smell is even stronger inside, and Nico’s definitely drooling. Will laughs, kissing Nico’s cheek. Maria shoos them out of the kitchen after handing them a stack of plates and some silverware. Nico sits down, waiting. Finally, Maria shows up, holding a large platter of gnocchi.

“In celebration of family,” Maria says. She smiles, serving everyone some food. Nico dives right in after the prayer, not waiting for anyone to tell him to eat. He’s halfway through his portion when he realizes that everyone is looking at him.

“What?” he asks. Will just shrugs. Maria beams at him. Hazel giggles.

“You’ve got some sauce right here,” Will says, his finger moving to swipe something off of Nico’s chin. Nico blushes when Will licks the sauce off of his finger before moving back to his own plate.“So, how did you two meet?” Maria asks. She’s heard the story at least ten times already, but Nico thinks she wants to hear it from Will’s perspective. And Nico’s curious, too. Will launches into the story, starting at the war. He glosses over most of the gruesome details, sparing everyone’s appetites.

“And he just looked so brave and cute,” Will says, “I couldn’t just not get to know him.” Nico’s definitely blushing now, and Maria’s smiling at the of them. “One thing led to the next.”

Nico rolls his eyes, swatting at Will’s arm. Will just ducks, kissing Nico’s shoulder.

“You two are very cute,” Maria says. “I’m so happy that Nico has found someone to love him as much as he deserves.” Nico’s not sure which is more embarrassing right now: Will’s affection or Maria’s acceptance. He loves both of them, but he’s definitely not used to this much affection in the same room.

“And I’m so happy to have another daughter. Family is more than blood. It’s who we love.” She squeezes Hazel’s hand, kissing her cheek. “And now for dessert.”

“Tiramisu,” Maria announces.

“This is by far the best meal I’ve had in a long time,” Will says. Maria blushes.

“I’ve been teaching Nico to cook,” she says. “I’m sure when you two are married, he’ll cook you delicious food.” Nico almost chokes on his bite. He recovers, swallowing before looking up at Will and his mom. Will’s also blushing, though he doesn’t seem all that phased. Hazel is trying to stifle a giggle.

“Oh, if only you could see them at camp,” she says. “They’re already like a married couple. In fact, they even sleep in the same cabin.”

“You don’t share a cabin?” Maria asks. Nico shakes his head.

“I’m the only child of Hades at Camp Half-Blood, so I get the cabin to myself. Not that anyone else would want to live there. It’s pretty creepy.” Will nods.

“Well, then, we’ll just have to fix it up. Make it homier.” She smiles. “After all, I can’t have my son living somewhere he doesn’t like. Can we do that tomorrow? We can go after Bianca arrives.”

“Um, sure,” Nico says. He hadn’t expected to take his family on a tour of his cabin. If so, he’d have cleaned it up a bit more. Right now, he’s seeing his dirty laundry in the corner, some of his training things just laying around. “I can call Jules-Albert. See if he’s willing to make the drive.”

Maria nods. “Then it’s settled. Consider it an early anniversary gift.” Nico just shoves another bite of tiramisu into his mouth. Will was so worried he wouldn’t make a good impression, and now Nico’s mom was already planning their wedding.  
-  
Bianca’s eyeing Will. She had greeted him with a firm handshake and a brief shovel talk. Will had make some undignified squeaking noise and had gripped Nico’s hand. He had yet to let go, and they were almost to Camp Half-Blood.

“She’s just trying to scare you, Will,” Nico whispers. “I can tell she already likes you.”

They’ve been in the car for about four hours. Will alternated between singing along to the radio under his breath and sleeping. He avoided looking Bianca’s direction for fear she might shoot him somehow. But Nico’s caught her smiling at Will. He knows that if she didn’t like him, he wouldn’t have made it this long.

“Do you have any ideas how you want to remodel?” Maria asks. Nico shrugs. He’s been thinking about it, but he doesn’t exactly have that artistic eye.

“I want a nice big bed and brighter walls, mostly,” he says.

“Homey,” Maria says. Nico nods. “I think we can do that.” She’s somehow made arrangements with Hades about money and getting things into the cabin. Nico’s not sure how all of that’s supposed to happen or play out, but he trusts his mom. And he knows Hades will do almost anything for Maria.

They get to camp without much fanfare. Nico had alerted Chiron, asking for some privacy upon arrival and to allow his mom to pass through the borders. He leads them through camp, only pausing to wave to some of Will’s siblings before heading towards his cabin.

“Oh,” Maria says when she enters. “I can see how this is unpleasant.” Nico nods. The lights were on, but he barely sees where the bathroom door was. The standard bunk beds filled most of the space, though they were all empty and just taking up space.

“So, I was thinking we can keep a few bunk beds. Just for visitors, like if Hazel comes or Bianca. And then have my bed like right here. And then maybe a fireplace instead of whatever that pit thing is. And nicer lighting. So I can actually tell if it’s nighttime or not.”

They draw out a few plans as Maria and Hazel flip through magazines.

“So, a son of Apollo?” Bianca asks. There’s a teasing smirk on her face, and Nico blushes. “He’s pretty cute. Not that I care.”

Nico hums. “Yeah,” he says. Will’s leaning over Hazel’s shoulder, pointing at stuff. He seems to have completely forgotten that Bianca’s there. And now he’s laughing and joking. Dancing around the room when Hazel turns on some music.

“He makes you happy,” Bianca says. Nico realizes he’s smiling. Nowadays, he notices more when he’s not smiling. “Don’t tell him just yet, but I approve. He seems to really care for you.” She steps back as Will dances towards Nico, smiling. He reaches out for Nico’s hands, hesitating when he remembers that Bianca’s there. Nico rolls his eyes, taking Will’s hands.

“Come on, sunshine.” Nico twirls Will around, even though he’s the shorter one and it takes a little maneuvering on Will’s part. Will wiggles his hips, laughing. Nico dips Will back, kissing him on the nose. “Time to go shopping.”

Will holds Nico’s hand as they go through the shops. Maria makes a note of everything that they pick. Nico assumes that Hades is somehow going to do the ordering and shipping. He hopes so. The last thing he wants to do right now is summon an army of skeletons to do the work for him.

“Does she think that I’ve moved in with you?” Will asks. Nico shrugs. “I don’t mind. In fact, I quite like the idea.” He wiggles his eyebrows.

“Yeah? Thinking of moving in with me?” Nico asks.  
“Well, before this makeover thing happened, I was thinking of maybe getting an apartment in New Rome. Because they have that little town and college and Hazel’s there.” Nico smiles. He wonders how long Will’s been thinking of this. “But I don’t mind moving into Cabin 13 either. As long as you’re there.”

Will leans down to kiss Nico, but they’re interrupted when they realize that there’s a man standing in front of them, trying to look at the lamps behind them, instead of the rest of their group. They murmur quick apologies before rushing off, laughing.

Bianca winks at Nico as they meet up by the curtains. She’s smiling, and Will glances between Nico and her, trying to figure out what it all means. Nico just pats Will’s hand. “Don’t worry, sunshine. She’s not going to kill you.” Will just nods, smiling a little.

By the time they’re done shopping, Nico thinks his legs are going to fall off. He doesn’t know how many stores they’ve been to or how long it’s been since they started. They did stop for lunch, only an hour break. They went to an outdoor cafe and had sandwiches and soup. Then they stood back up and continued shopping.

“I think my legs are gone,” Nico whines. “I can’t feel them anymore.”

Will laughs. “Want me to carry you?” he asks. He’s teasing, but Nico doesn’t care. He makes Will crouch down as he climbs onto Will’s back. Will hooks his arms onto Nico’s legs.

“You two are so cute,” Hazel says. They’re walking back up to the cabins. Some of the campers spot Will giving Nico a piggy-back ride and whistle or wave. Nico doesn’t care. Will’s already ruined his dark and brooding reputation. He’s not sure what proves that more: the fact that he’s on Will’s back or the fact that he’s redecorating his cabin to be more ‘homey’.

“Hades says he should be able to get this stuff done by this afternoon. Tonight at the latest.” Nico nods. He has no idea how his mom and Hades communicates, but he supposes all couples have their secrets.

Will trips, sending them both flying a bit. Nico still ends up on top, Will making a soft oof sound as he catches Nico. Nico bends down to kiss Will before rolling off of him.

“I guess we can just hang out here, then,” Nico says. “Or by the lake. But that might be a bit busy.”

They all settle into the grass, playing Mythomagic. All of them are smiling fondly as Nico explains the rules of the game, handling each of the battered cards with care. He thinks he might need a new deck, simply because they’re starting to tear now he’s used them so much, but he’s not sure he’s ready to let this deck go.

“Did you ever finish your figurine collection?” Bianca asks. Nico shakes his head.

“They keep making more!” he says. Since Leo introduced him to the Internet, he’s been indulging in his (nerdy) hobbies. He’s found a Mythomagic forum where he can debate which cards are better against others, which are just best in general. He’s had to restrain himself from getting into debates just because some people clearly don’t understand the game.

“Did you see his bookshelf? He’s got most of the original collection,” Will says. “I think he’s only missing one of the more rare ones.” Nico nods. He’s ranted more than a few times to Will about trying to collect all of the figurines. He knows Will’s been searching, too, and that makes his heart do funny flips.

They play cards and just hang out until it’s dinner time. Jules-Albert drives them into town, and they find a nice American food place. It’s not McDonald’s, but these burgers are definitely better. (Not that he’d ever admit that.) He steals a few of Will’s fries, and they share a milkshake (though Nico drinks most of it).

Nico excuses himself to the bathroom. When he comes back, Bianca’s whispering something into Will’s ear. He’s blushing and fidgeting, but Nico thinks it’s good news. Bianca just smiles when Nico sits back down. As they’re leaving, Nico sees Will pocket something.  
“What’s that?” Nico asks.

Will takes it out of his pocket. It’s a small sunshine charm. “Bianca gave it to me,” Will says. “I’m going to put it on my necklace when we get back.” He’s smiling, his step lighter. Nico smiles at Bianca, squeezing her hand. She smiles back, making a heart with her hands.  
-  
Nico squeezes Will’s hand as they walk into the Hades cabin. Hades definitely kept his promise. The walls are now a light blue, the curtains a nice grey. There’s a large canopy bed in the middle of the room, fluffy pillows and a black comforter. Four bunk beds are pushed to the left, a curtain separating them from Nico’s bed. There’s now a fireplace and a couch.

“It feels like home,” Nico says. He feels ready to cry, but he’s not going to, not in front of all of these people. There’s a bookshelf next to the fireplace, a nightstand next to the bed. A mini-fridge is situated along the far wall. There are framed pictures on the walls of Nico’s friends and family. Will throws himself on the bed, sighing.

“It’s perfect,” he says. “Do you like it?” Nico can just nod. He sits down on the bed.

“Look,” Bianca says softly. On the bookshelf is a new figurine, the one Nico’s been searching for all this time. “Must’ve been a housewarming gift.” Nico smiles. Hades may not always be able to show it, but he could be a good father.

“And I have a housewarming gift as well,” Maria says. She presents them with a wrapped package. Will shrugs as Nico rips into the paper. It’s two framed photos of the two of them. In one, they’re caught looking into each other’s eyes, both smiling. In the other, they’re holding hands.

Nico hugs his mom, burying his face in her arms. He misses her when he’s at camp, but he knows that she isn’t all that far away.

“Thank you, Mama. Grazie,” he says. She smiles at him.

“As long as I can come and visit,” she says. Nico nods. Of course, she’d be able to visit. Maria bends down to kiss Nico’s cheek. “I’m so proud of you, Nico. You’re becoming such a fine young man.” The tears are threatening to come back as Nico kisses his mom’s cheeks.

He says his goodbyes, hugging Hazel and Bianca. So many years ago, he’d thought his family would be forever severed. And how he has another sister and a boyfriend. He has so many friends.

“I expect a wedding invitation,” Bianca says. Will squeaks again, but he’s blushing this time. The charm is in between his camp beads. Bianca smiles at him, kissing his cheek. “Take care of my brother.” Will nods.

“I love you guys,” he says. Will squeezes his hand. Nico hugs everyone again, kissing their cheeks. Then they’re really leaving, Jules-Albert promising to drive safely.  
“Well,” Will says, “should we try out the bed?” Nico grins.

“Definitely.” They fight over who gets what pillow for a minute or so before snuggling close to each other, the pillows forgotten. “Thanks for meeting my family,” Nico whispers. “I knew you’d all get along.”

Will laughs, smiling. “That’s because we all love you.” He kisses Nico’s lips. “So, are we going to have to start planning our wedding?”

Nico laughs. “Probably. But, first, sleep.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are appreciated :)
> 
> thank you so much for your patience! I promise that I haven't forgotten about your prompts.


	10. first kisses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico's never kissed anyone before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just some cute solangelo kisses :)
> 
> (also, I've never kissed anyone either, so sorry if it's slightly inaccurate or whatever)

Their first kiss went something like this: They had come back from their second date, just a casual walk around the lake and through the woods. They were holding hands. Nico was sure his hand was super sweaty, but he hopes that Will doesn’t mind. Will’s hand was a little sweaty, though that could easily be because of the hot, summer day.  
“I’ll see you at dinner, yeah?” Will asks. He’s smiling, standing on the front porch of the Hades cabin. His hair is all messy from the wind and from his free hand running through it. His freckles stand out as it’s the middle of the summer. He smells of grass and the infirmary. Nico bites his lip.

“Yeah, dinner,” Nico says. He’s finding it harder to form coherent thoughts about Will. He thought it had been bad when he’d been crushing on Will, but it is so much worse now. Will doesn’t seem to mind. He only grins, squeezes Nico’s hand.

“Nico?” Will asks. There’s a nervous hint in his voice. “May I kiss you?”

Nico gives the smallest of nods. He’s been thinking about kissing Will ever since Will asked him out that day in the infirmary. He thinks that Will would be a good kisser, though he’s not sure why. Up until now, he’s never been kissed, not even on the cheek. Will leans forward, the smile slipping from his face a bit as he presses his lips against Nico’s cheek. He just holds them there for a second or two before pulling back, his grin coming back.

“See you at dinner!”

Nico just stands there, unsure if there’s supposed to be fireworks or butterflies. There isn’t either one, and he’s not sure if that’s because of him. Is he doing something wrong? He’s seen people kiss before. It doesn’t ever look like more than two people sticking their lips together. Nico sighs. Maybe he’s doing it all wrong, but he’s not sure how he can figure out what to do right. He just hopes that maybe his body will know the next time Will kisses him.

The second kiss was just a bit better: It took place on their fifth date. Chorion had actually let them go out into the city, so they went to a semi-nice restaurant and had dinner. Nico paid the bill (he insisted), and Will just smiled. They went for a quick walk downtown, stopping in a nearby park to watch a dog fetch a Frisbee.

They’re sitting on a bench, and they’re holding hands. They’re knees are touching, and Nico thinks that this is way more romantic than it should be. After all, they’re the only ones in this dog park without a dog. No one else seems to care, but Nico gets a little fidgety. He’s not sure what he’s supposed to do with his other hand. Is he supposed to just lean his head against Will’s shoulder? Can he ask for a kiss?

As if reading Nico’s mind, Will turns towards him, a small smile on his face. “Can we kiss?” Will asks. Nico’s heart does a little fluttering as Will tips his head to the side. Nico nods. He’s not sure why this one feels so different than the last one. Will leans forward, and Nico freezes. He wants this, but he’s not sure what to do. Should he tilt his head? Should he lean forward? Should he put his hands on Will’s shoulders like they do in the movies?

Before he can decide, Will’s lips are on his. Will presses into Nico just a little, holds for a second or two. He pulls away. He seems a little confused, but he’s still smiling. So Nico hopes it went alright. He’s not sure how kisses are supposed to go, but he likes these kisses from Will. They make his face heat up and his heart go into overdrive. He hopes Will likes them, too.

Their third kiss is where things go wrong.

They’re sitting by the lake again. Will’s set out a picnic, and they’re already eaten all of the food. They’re holding hands again, like they’ve done since Will first asked Nico out. Nico’s gathered up the courage to lay his head on Will’s shoulder. (He’s tired. He had to get up early to eat breakfast with Will.)

“The lake looks pretty today,” Will says. Nico doesn’t respond. He thinks the lake looks pretty every day. “Hey, if you’re tired, we can go back to your cabin.”

Nico shakes his head. He likes it here in the shade with Will. His cabin is dark and stuffy. “I like it here.” Will nods. HIs hand traces patterns across Nico’s knee. They’re both a little sweaty, but the summer has been really warm this year. Will leans down, pressing a soft kiss to Nico’s cheek. He’s been doing that more and more lately, and it makes Nico so flustered each time.

“Hey, Nico?” Will asks. Nico lifts his head off of Will’s shoulder. He feels nervous all of a sudden, like he’s done something wrong. “It’s okay if you don’t want to kiss. Or if you’re not ready for it. That’s why I ask. So you can say no if you want to.”

Will shrugs, his hands now fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. He’s not quite looking at Nico, looking just slightly guilty if anything. Nico opens his mouth to say that he likes Will’s kisses, that he wants Will to keep kissing him. But he isn’t sure if that’s what he wants. He doesn’t know how to kiss, but he really doesn’t want to mess this up. He really likes Will, and he’s enjoyed getting to know Will better. His favorite part so far is Will’s hand in his, Will’s thumb running over his skin. It makes him feel so grounded, just that small touch.

And now Nico feels like crying. Because he doesn’t want to lose Will. But he can’t even bring himself to kiss Will because he doesn’t want to mess this all up. And maybe they were better just as friends because then Nico could talk to Will without messing up or without second-guessing everything he does or says. But he doesn’t want to go back to just being friends. He wants to be able to still cuddle and have Will look at him like he’s something special (even though he’s not sure he is).

“Nico, hey,” Will says softly. He reaches up, wiping a tear from Nico’s cheek. “Did I say something wrong? I only meant that I would wait for you if you weren’t ready.” He pauses, pulling a tissue out of his pocket. Nico doesn’t know why Will has tissues in his pocket, so he just assumes it’s a side-effect of working in an infirmary. Nico blows his nose.

“I’m okay,” he says. He sniffles, wiping at his face.

“Are you?” Will asks. He still looks so concerned. And that’s another thing Nico loves about Will. How much he cares about other people. “I just want to make sure you’re comfortable, Nico. It’s okay if you don’t want to kiss. I can wait. Or if you never want to kiss, I can live with that, too.”

Nico just shakes his head, wanting to cry some more. Will’s just so amazing, and he can’t even work up the courage to kiss Will. He doesn’t know why Will’s even giving him the time of day anymore.

“No more kissing? Or you’re not ready?” Will asks softly. He’s tracing Nico’s hand now, slow circles on the back of his hand. Nico takes a few deep breaths.

“I want to kiss you,” Nico says. He’s too upset to blush. “I don’t know how,” he mumbles. “And I don’t want to mess this up. I really like you, Will.”

Will smiles at this, pulling Nico closer. He wraps his arms around Nico, the circles moving onto his back now. He holds Nico until Nico feels like he can breathe normally and talk without bursting into tears again. He’s not weak, but Will makes him feel so many emotions that he wasn’t sure were even possible.

“So you don’t know how to kiss?” Will asks. Nico shakes his head. Will smiles. “I’ll tell you a secret,” he says. “I didn’t know how to kiss about a week ago either.” Will’s blushing now. “I actually had to ask Kayla, which was completely embarrassing.”

Nico giggles. He can just imagine Will going to his sister to ask how to kiss someone. “Can you teach me?”

Will nods. “I think we can learn together. I honestly don’t really know if what I’m doing is right. And then you didn’t kiss me back, so I thought that maybe I was doing it all wrong.”

Nico smiles now. It makes him feel better that Will isn’t some experienced kisser. He kind of likes the idea of learning together. That way, he isn’t the only one fumbling around and making a fool of himself. “I think you’re okay,” Nico says. “I’ve never been kissed. I don’t know what it’s supposed to feel like.”

“Kayla just said it’s supposed to feel right. Like, not gross or pressured. Just right.” Will pouts. “Which isn’t very helpful because it never feels gross. It just feels kind of weird.”

Nico nods. “Maybe we can try again?” he asks.

Their fourth kiss goes something like this: Will grins at Nico, leaning in a bit. Nico puts his hands on Will’s shoulders to steady himself. The last thing he wants to do is faceplate into Will’s chin. Will seems nervous, and Nico is, too. They both lean forward. Will gets there first, his lips touching Nico’s. Nico tries to move his lips, and Will pulls back, laughing.

Nico’s face heats up. “Was that bad?” he asks.

Will shrugs. “I don’t know. I wasn’t expecting that. It didn’t feel bad, though.” He pauses. “Maybe we’re overthinking this, you know? Maybe we should close our eyes.”

Nico nods. He doesn’t care how many awkward kisses they have to go through to get to the right one. He’s just glad that this is with Will. With Will, he knows that he won’t be made fun of or become the talk of the camp. He knows that Will will make sure Nico’s okay with what’s happening, too.

For the fifth kiss, they both close their eyes. Nico’s lips touch something solid, and he almost jerks back before he feels Will’s breath on his chin. He angles his face down a bit, smiling a little when he feels Will’s lips against his. They’re a little dry, a little cracked, but they taste like the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches they’d both had for lunch.

Nico laughs a little, feeling almost giddy that they’re actually doing this. They’re actually kissing. He moves his hands up from Will’s shoulders to the back of Will’s head. This feels better. Will presses a little harder, and Nico presses back to meet him. It’s almost like a dance, he thinks. Nico thinks his lips are a little dry, so he moves his lips to try and wet them. Will gasps, his nose slamming into Nico’s cheek.

They both pull back laughing.

“Better?” Will asks. His cheeks are a bright red, and Nico’s sure he looks the same.

“I think so.” Nico smiles.

“I guess we’ll just have to keep practicing,” Will says. Nico rolls his eyes, but he lets Will pull him closer again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you everyone who has sent in a prompt :) I am doing my best to get them all written as soon as I can :)  
> (there is just the slight delay that is the final days of school before exams, but I'm getting through them :))
> 
> I'll probably be starting a new work soon. I've got one more prompt that will be on this one, and then I'll open a new work for the rest of the prompts.
> 
> comments are appreciated :)


	11. dogs and dates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico meets a cute boy at the dog park.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> technically, a continuation of 'pawprints across my heart', but it can be read separately.

There’s a cute boy at the dog park. Nico’s not even sure if it’s legal to be that cute, to run around with those long legs and to have that blond hair that just flops around. Nico’s always said that he doesn’t have a type, but if he had to pick one, this boy is his type. Without a doubt.

His name is Will, and he has a miniature schnauzer named Addie who loves to just run. Addie’s got a pink collar with a single bone-shaped dog tag. She likes to bark and chase after Will whenever she can. Nico thinks they’re playing some sort of tag game. Because whenever Addie ‘tags’ Will, Will always rolls into the grass, letting Addie jump around him and lick his face. All in all, the pair is way cuter than they have any right to be.

Nico’s been coming to this dog park for about a month now. This dog park is Mrs. O’Leary’s favorite place to be other than Nico’s bed or Jason’s side of the couch. Her favorite game is fetch. Sometimes Nico will even throw the Frisbee, and she’ll come back with a stick. Or another dog’s toy.

Which is how Nico met Will. He had thrown the Frisbee across the park, and Mrs. O’Leary had run to grab it. Only, she got super side-tracked and came back with an orange tennis ball. Nico groans, looking at the slobber that was now running over the ball. The last thing he wanted to do was have to return this slimy thing to its owner.

“Hey!” comes a voice, and Nico prepares his speech.

“Sorry, my dog just loves fetching-“ he starts to say. His sentence trails off as he sees who he’s talking to. The stranger is tall and blond and handsome, and if Nico had just a shred less dignity, he’d immediately ask for the boy’s number and maybe just ask him on a date. But he has his dignity and his pride and a very slimy tennis ball in his hands.

“I think your dog grabbed the wrong toy.” The boy hands over Mrs. O’Leary’s Frisbee. Nico nods, tossing it just so that he has something to do. After that, he just plops the slimy toy into the boy’s hands.

“I’m Will,” the boy says. “I’d shake your hand, but-“ he holds up his hand, the slimy toy now in it. Nico smiles.

“Nico. And that’s Mrs. O’Leary.” He points to his dog who is now running back towards them, ears flopping and slobber flying.

“This is Addie,” Will says. His dog is sitting by his legs, tail wagging. Nico’s slightly embarrassed by how behaved Addie is and how chaotic his own dog is. Mrs. O’Leary comes back, dropping the Frisbee. (She only likes fetch, not tug-of-war.) “It’s nice to meet both of you.”

Nico panics for a moment as Will looks like he’s going to walk away. He wipes his hands on his pants, quickly fumbling around for his business cards. He always kept some wherever he went, just in case. “Here,” he says. “My number. Although, you’re also welcome to call me if you need any art done, too.”

Will blushes, wiping his own hands, before taking the card. “Nico di Angelo.” He smiles. “I assume this is your cell number. I don’t want to be that fool who tries to text a home number.” Nico’s stomach flutters. Mrs. O’Leary nudges his leg.

“Cell number. You can text me.” He feels like he’s smiling like an idiot, but he doesn’t care. Will’s cute, and he seems to be interested in Nico.

“Will do,” Will says, winking. “See you later.”

Then he leaves. Mrs. O’Leary whines, nudging Nico again. Nico sighs, not even caring that he’s currently covered in dog slobber. He just gave a cute boy his number.  
-  
“Your phone keeps buzzing,” Jason says as Nico steps out of the bathroom. He’s sitting on the couch, Mrs. O’Leary curled up next to him. Jason has his laptop situated on the armrest of the couch to ensure that no dog slobber gets into his keys. “Got some hot date? Or are the police after you?”

“Ha ha,” Nico says. He blushes. He’s completely forgotten about Will. Will didn’t text him last night or the morning after, so Nico wasn’t so sure if he was actually going to get a text back. He dashes to look at his phone, smiling when he sees an unknown number and Will’s name and a smiley face right under it. He texts back quickly, ignoring Jason’s questions.

“Not the police. Seriously, Jason.” Jason just shrugs. Nico adds Will’s number as a contact, putting a smiley face after Will’s name.  
“You never know. You’re pretty secretive. And you’re always getting in late. For all I know, you could be a part of the mafia.” Nico rolls his eyes. “So, if it’s not the police, is it a hot date?”  
Nico blushes further. Jason pushes his glasses up, eyeing Nico. He smiles after a minute. “We’re not dating,” Nico grumbles. Jason looks like his birthday has come early. “But he is pretty cute, and he’s texting me.” He’s not sure why he’s telling Jason this. Jason’s always been super protective of Nico’s love life, though Nico’s pretty capable of handling most of the guys he’s gotten involved with.

“When do I get to meet him?” Jason asks. “He must’ve been drop-dead gorgeous if you gave him your number.” Nico groans. He knows he shouldn’t have involved Jason in this, but he just wants to talk about Will with someone. His phone dings again, and Nico grins.

Jason jumps up to look over Nico’s shoulder. “He’s asking you out,” Jason stage-whispers. “He thinks you’re cute. He seems to really like you!”

Nico shoves Jason away, trying to find room to text. “I can read, Jason. But thanks for the play by play.” Jason just shrugs.

“I’m just happy for you, Nico. Also, if he ends up being a jerk, just let me know.” Nico just ignores him. Will’s texting him back, saying that he has to leave for classes. Nico feels slightly disappointed now, but he supposes that he’s got stuff that he needs to do. After all, he has his own classes to attend, his own homework to do. He’s about to silence his phone when he sees the last text Will sends: a heart.  
-  
Nico and Will have been texting back and forth all week, but they’re going on a date tonight. Nico’s so nervous. He’s not sure why. He’s dated plenty of guys (about four), and he’s even kissed some of them. Nothing about this is new, but Nico can’t help but feel nervous.

“It’s going to be fine, Nico,” Jason says. “Just be yourself. Except, maybe slightly less nerdy. Don’t talk his ear off.” Nico rolls his eyes. He wasn’t that nerdy. He just has a few things that he’s super passionate about, namely Mythomagic, his dog, and art (mostly art that isn’t his).

Nico gives Mrs. O’Leary a kiss before adjusting her collar. He can feel Jason rolling his eyes, but he doesn’t care. Mrs. O’Leary was coming along, so she needed to look her best as well. Nico just hopes that Addie and Mrs. O’Leary get along. After all, a dog is a man’s best friend. If Mrs. O’Leary didn’t like someone, Nico didn’t hang out with them.

Nico gives him a pep talk as he drives to Will’s apartment. Will only lives about fifteen minutes away from Nico’s apartment. Mrs. O’Leary sticks her head out of the window, tongue hanging out. She didn’t seem stressed or nervous whatsoever. Nico wishes that she could let Nico borrow some of that.

Will answers the door with Addie in his arms. “She’s tired,” he says by way of greeting. “But she’s super excited to meet you.” He welcomes them in.

They’d decided to have their first date at Will’s apartment because Nico wanted to bring the dogs. But unfortunately, there weren’t that many places in town that were super dog-friendly, so they settled for Will’s place. (Because Jason protested against getting kicked out just because Nico was having boys over.)

“Um, it’s not much, but it’s cozy,” Will says. “You can just hang up your jacket. Also, she’s allowed on the furniture, if she wants. I set out another dog bowl for her if she gets thirsty.” Will lets Mrs. O’Leary sniff his hand. She licks it, barking. Nico takes that as a good sign.

“So, nice place,” Nico says. It was a bit nicer than his own apartment. Or, it was decorated nicer.

“Thanks. My sister lives here, too, but she’s visiting home this weekend.” Nico nods. He knew the basics of Will’s family, but they hadn’t exchanged anything super personal yet. Nico rocks back on his heels, unsure of what to say. “Oh, and dinner’s almost ready.” Will winks.

Nico smiles. Dinner was pizza that Will had called ahead for delivery. Nico had offered to cook, but he didn’t want to overstep any boundaries. After all, they were in Will’s apartment. They both sit down on the couch. Addie gets up, walking into Nico’s lap. She takes her time sniffing at Nico’s pants, his shirt, his face. Nico glances over to see that Mrs. O’Leary is doing the same.

“I guess this is the real test,” Will says. Nico smiles. Addie licks at Nico’s face, settling into his lap. Nico scratches behind her ears. “If you rub her neck, that’s her favorite spot. Just don’t touch her tail. She’s picky about who touches it.” Nico glances at Addie’s little stub of a tail. It was wagging.

“Mrs. O’Leary just love being petted. She doesn’t care where, though she might drool all over you.” Will just shrugs.

“My mom has two golden retrievers,” he says. “We’re basically a dog family, but I wanted a smaller dog. This apartment isn’t all that big.”

They talk about dogs until the pizza arrives. Then they sit and eat pizza. Nico doesn’t think he’s ever felt so self-conscious about the way that the cheese stretches or how the toppings tend to fall off with just one bite. They’re at the table now, but Nico still feels and when a piece of sausage falls.

“So, you’re an artist?” Will asks.

Nico nods. “Kind of. Freelancing right now until I’m done with school. Then I’ll either start my own business or try and get hired. Still deciding there.” Will smiles.

“That’s so cool. All of my siblings got the artistic genes. None left for me.” He laughs, and Nico thinks that it’s pretty enough to pass for music. “I mean, Kayla sings. Michael and Lee both play the guitar. I’m horribly tone-deaf, and I only know about four chords.”

Nico smiles. Mrs. O’Leary is begging for a slice of pizza, but Nico’s not going to give her one. Addie’s curled up on the couch, snoozing. Nico wonders why his dog can’t be more behaved.

“We could go for a walk after this,” Will offers. “I don’t really have much planned.” He scratches the back of his head. Nico nods. They finish up their pizza, clipping on dog leashes. Addie’s running around Will’s legs now, her tail wagging. It takes a little maneuvering to get to the dog park. Nico’s not used to walking next to someone.

“I, uh, haven’t really been on a date in a while,” Will says. “So, sorry if I come across super awkward. I promise I’m only a little bit awkward.”

Nico laughs. “And here I thought it was me.” Will shakes his head.

“No, I’ve just been super busy lately with school, so I haven’t really had much of a social life.” Nico shrugs. He hasn’t been all that busy. He just chooses to have a small social life. “What I’m trying to say is that I want to make this work, but scheduling might be a little hard.”

“It’s fine, Will. Honestly, official dates make me kind of nervous and tongue-tied, so this is perfectly fine.” Will flashes him a smile. He holds out his free hand, and Nico takes it. Will’s hand is warm and a little sticky (probably from pizza grease or sweat), and it’s slightly larger than Nico’s. Nico thinks it’s perfect.

Will walks him back to his apartment, smiling. “I had a really nice time, Nico,” he says. Nico smiles. “I was hoping I might get a kiss? I know it’s early and all, but-“ He’s cut off when Nico leans forward, pressing his lips to Will’s cheek. Will’s cheeks go pink. “Yeah, that’s good.”

Nico rolls his eyes. “My turn to pick the date,” he says. Will’s grin somehow becomes wider. He pats Mrs. O’Leary’s head, waving.  
-  
Now that Nico knows who Will is, he’s sure he’s seen Will around school. Their paths hardly cross as they’re in two completely different programs, but it makes Nico smile to know that they’re in the same place. They’ve been texting more since their last date. Once, Will called, and Nico almost hung up on him.

He’s quickly getting used to hearing Will’s voice in his head as he reads Will’s texts. He’s grown used to smiling as soon as he sees Will’s name pop up on his phone. Even the simplest texts, just ones that say good morning or have a good day, make Nico’s heart flutter. Sometimes, he gets pictures of Addie or Will’s pile of textbooks. Nico sends teasers of the art he’s working on or Mrs. O’Leary sleeping next to Jason.

Nico thought it’d bother him more that Jason knows Will, but it doesn’t. If anything, it makes it that much easier. He doesn’t have to worry about Jason’s disapproval.

He’s getting ready for their next date. He’s kicked Jason out of the apartment to spend an evening with Piper, so he’s got the place to himself. Dinner’s in the oven, and he’s debating whether or not lighting candles would be too much. He’s already spent the afternoon cleaning the entire apartment and giving Mrs. O’Leary a bath. He doesn’t think he’s ever worked so hard to impress someone.

Will shows up just a minute or so after the intended time, a smile on his face and Addie in his arms. “She hates the rain,” he says. Nico smiles, running to grab a towel. He’s glad he didn’t try and plan a picnic or a walk. It’s pouring outside.

Addie curls up on the couch like she lives here, Mrs. O’Leary joining them. Nico’s turned on the fireplace for them. Will smiles, hugging Nico.

“This might sound stupid, but I’ve kind of missed you,” he says. Nico giggles. He’s kind of missed Will, too, which he thinks is crazy as they’ve only been dating for about three weeks. This is technically their second date, though they’ve met up at the dog park for quick conversations. And they’ve texted almost every day. And Will brought Nico coffee one morning before his class. So it feels like they’ve known each other for much longer.

“Also, hi. And dinner smells amazing.” Nico smiles.

“Lasagne,” he says. “My mama’s recipe.” Will pulls back, kissing Nico’s cheek. Nico’s learned that Will can be super affectionate, that it’s about the small touches for him. He’ll run his fingers along Nico’s arm, trace circles on his leg, kiss his cheek, make tiny braids in Nico’s hair.

Will sets the table, and Nico imagines starting a life with Will. They sit down, say a quick prayer. Then Will’s drooling like Mrs. O’Leary over the lasagne. Nico just smiles, sinking into the comfortable silence, the clink of forks against plates. Will has second-helpings. Nico can’t help but think that his mama was right: the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.

“This is amazing, Nico. If I already didn’t like you, I’d totally want to date you now.” Nico laughs.

“I’m supposed to save at least two pieces for Jason. He’ll be upset if he finds out that we ate it all.” Will pouts as Nico gets up, moving the last two pieces into a Tupperware container. “I can make more later. Right now, though, I was thinking we could watch a movie?”

Will grins, moving to help with the dishes. Nico wants to protest, say that he can just let the dishes soak, but Will’s already grabbed a sponge. Will hums while he washes the dishes, passing them to Nico to dry. By the time they’re finishing up, Will’s started to dance a little, wiggling a little in place. Nico can’t help but laugh.

“You’re a dork.”

Will just grins. “I hope you didn’t just figure that out.” Nico smiles. They finish the dishes, moving to the couch. They have to settle in between the dogs, their hands bridging the gap. Will’s up against one armrest. Nico’s sandwiched between Addie and Mrs. O’Leary. There’s a movie on, but Nico’s not paying it as much attention. He intentionally chose a movie he’s already seen before. This way he can focus on the way that Will watches the movie, how he smiles and laughs and gasps, how his hand feels in Nico’s. His other hand is absently running over Addie’s back, massaging her neck.

“I hope you’re not too jealous of Addie,” Will says, winking. “Because she’s very precious and dear to me, and I don’t think I’d be able to choose between the two of you.”

“Maybe just a little, but I feel the same way about Mrs. O’Leary.” Will kisses Nico’s hand.

“I’ve only known you for three weeks, Nico di Angelo, but you make me really happy.” He pauses, looking right into Nico’s eyes. “Will you do me the honor of being my boyfriend?”

For a moment, Nico’s heart stops beating. Then it’s hammering away. “Yes, you dork.” Will laughs, leaning over Addie a bit to kiss Nico on the cheek. “But I want a real kiss.”

Will’s eyes shine at that. He leans closer, pressing his lips to Nico’s. It’s a little sloppy as neither of them can stop smiling, but it’s nice. Eventually, Addie moves over so that Will can scoot closer. They kiss for a bit more until they have to catch their breaths. Then Nico leans into Will, smiling as he feels Will trace up and down his back.

“You make me so happy, Nico. I’m glad I found someone who loves their dog as much I do.” Nico laughs.

“As long as we’re equal.” Will nods solemnly before sneaking another kiss onto Nico’s cheek. They stay cuddled up like that until Jason comes back. He makes a beeline for the kitchen, reappearing with Nico’s lasagne on a plate.

“I’m glad you two saved me a piece. If not, I might have to have some words with Mr. Solace.” Will makes a face.

“Geez, Grace. That makes me sound so old.” Jason just shrugs.

“Remember, I’m just in the other room. So no fooling around unless you want to sleep in the rain.” He eyes the two of them before heading into his room.

“Don’t mind him. He’s just jealous he’s only got lasagne.” Nico pulls Will’s arm around him, snuggling closer. There’s rain pattering against the windows, he’s surrounded by dogs and his boyfriend. Nico sighs. He doesn’t think it could get much better than this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm starting a new work after this with the rest of the prompts :)
> 
> comments are appreciated :)
> 
> thank you.


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